Lottie Woad joining pro ranks in women's golf after nearly winning Evian
The 21-year-old Englishwoman followed her victory by six shots at the Women's Irish Open on the Ladies European Tour on July 6 by finishing in third place — just one stroke off the pace — at the Evian Championship on Sunday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
35 minutes ago
- New York Times
Tottenham's transfer policy will please Danny Rose, but will it get results?
It used to be said of Tottenham Hotspur that they were so keen on finding value in the transfer market they would ignore players who were right under their noses. When Spurs full-back Danny Rose famously told UK newspaper The Sun in 2017 that he wanted them to sign players he did not 'have to Google', it struck a chord with the fanbase for a reason. This was an era when the club's transfer business was necessarily constrained by the new-stadium build, a huge billion-plus project they had to pay for themselves, with no hand-outs from anyone else. Advertisement What is so striking about Tottenham's transfer business in this window is how commonplace it is for them to target players who require far less research. Of course, there is still a hunt for bargains, for young unknowns who can develop and then shine at Tottenham. That was the case when Fabio Paratici was in charge of their recruitment, and even more so now Johan Lange is technical director. The recent purchase of Kota Takai from Japan's Kawasaki Frontale — not a player many of us had heard of — is the perfect example of this type of signing. A highly-rated youngster with great data who Spurs could beat the competition to. Antonin Kinsky, the goalkeeper signed from Slavia Prague in January, was another example of a similar trend. Go back slightly further, and the likes of Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall, though highly regarded by those well-versed in global youth football, were hardly household names before arriving in north London. Both ended the 2024-25 season having played a huge role in the club's Europa League triumph. But while Tottenham continue to go for players such as Takai and Kinsky — ones you can be forgiven for needing to Google — they have also made a habit of adding players who require no introduction. Which is what we have seen this month with the arrival of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United for £55million, and the attempt — still unresolved — to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest for £60m. Take a step back, and this is perhaps the defining trend in Spurs' transfer business in the past few years. And it is not the behaviour of a club shy about making their presence felt in the market. When Rose made those famous comments eight years ago, it was not quite true that Tottenham never bought from other Premier League sides. For example, they signed Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama in summer 2016 for £11million. He made an instant impact in elevating the level of the team. Which is what you want when you buy an established player from a team in the same division. And a few weeks after Rose's intervention, Spurs signed Fernando Llorente from Swansea City for £12m, although in truth the Spanish striker was always a high-level Plan B during his time at the club rather than a guaranteed starter. Advertisement After Llorente, however, Tottenham did not sign another player from a fellow Premier League side for another three years. (When Ryan Sessegnon and Jack Clarke were bought in summer 2019, from Fulham and Leeds United respectively, those sides were in the second-tier Championship.) It was not until 2020, when they added Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton and Matt Doherty of Wolves, that they started to buy from their own division again. And neither of those deals involved a big fee either, with each player costing roughly £15million. It was only really in summer 2022 that Spurs started to behave like they routinely do now. Remember that this was after one full season of post-pandemic football. Antonio Conte wanted some more experienced additions to his team after finishing in fourth and sealing Champions League football. It was no secret that Everton needed to sell Richarlison before the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR) reporting deadline of June 30. Spurs managed to get him for a deal of £50million, plus a potential £10m more in add-ons. It was one of the biggest deals in Tottenham's history, and a clear change in policy. Later that summer, they signed Yves Bissouma from Brighton & Hove Albion for £25m. The next summer, when Ange Postecoglou came in as manager, Spurs went again to sign established top-flight players for significant fees. Leicester City had just been relegated, but Tottenham had been tracking their midfielder James Maddison for years. They persuaded him to join and bought him for £40million in late June. At the end of the window, they targeted Brennan Johnson of Nottingham Forest, another club who needed to sell for PSR reasons, and landed him for £47.5m. In Postecoglou's second (and last) summer, Spurs broke their transfer record with another big Premier League purchase. Bournemouth were not in quite the same situation as Everton in 2022 or Forest in 2023, but Dominic Solanke had two years left on his deal, and it was their last chance to make money on him. Tottenham picked him up for an initial £55million, with another £10m in potential add-ons. Advertisement Put those four deals together — Richarlison, Maddison, Johnson and Solanke — and it establishes a clear pattern. Spurs are not afraid to pay fees that used to be far beyond them for proven Premier League talent. Especially when they know the selling club, for whatever reason, are not in much of a position to resist. While it may be tempting to suggest these players (and Bissouma) have sometimes flattered to deceive at Tottenham, it is worth remembering all bar Maddison started that Europa League final, and all played a part in that long-overdue trophy win. Remember too that there is precedent for a strategy like this. Liverpool — the Premier League's best case study in how to spend money smartly — built some of the foundations for their recent successes on the signings of players who had been relegated from the Premier League: Georginio Wijnaldum from Newcastle United in 2016, Andy Robertson from Hull City the year after. Sadio Mane — who Spurs also wanted — came in from mid-table Southampton. But given what we have seen from Tottenham in the past three years, it should perhaps be no surprise that they started their summer by targeting Kudus, given how valuable that money would be to West Ham in the market. And even the move for Gibbs-White, if unexpected, was still consistent with that strategy. Of course, they certainly might have added more established players than they did last summer, and the struggles of the team to compete on multiple fronts can be attributed in part to the fact that Solanke was their only experienced signing. And transfer fees are not the same thing as wage bills, and it is in salary terms that Spurs have lost ground relative to their rivals in recent years. Even though the club has spent more on fees than ever before, some observers have pointed to the reduced wage bill as being at least as important. Maybe this window is an attempt to make up for all that, to give new head coach Thomas Frank the tools to compete on multiple fronts. And to give the fans players they do not need to look up in advance. (Top photo of Gibbs-White and Kudus;)
New York Times
35 minutes ago
- New York Times
Welcome to Leicester City, Marti Cifuentes – now here's what needs sorting
Welcome to the party, Marti Cifuentes. Leicester City's summer of drift has taken a step towards stability with the appointment of the Spaniard as manager. Cifuentes, 43, was Queens Park Rangers head coach since October 2023 and has his work cut out to lift the gloom. Relegated Leicester took an age to relieve Ruud van Nistelrooy of his duties amid a backdrop of potential sanctions for an alleged breach of profitability and sustainability rules. Oh, the Championship season starts in less than a month. Here, The Athletic breaks down the biggest challenges facing Cifuentes. There are 27 senior professionals on the books, plus a talented crop of academy graduates. The first task is to move on players with any market value or who are deemed surplus to requirements. Goalkeeper Mads Hermansen and playmaker Bilal El Khannouss will attract interest and bring in decent sums, but Leicester will be desperate to shift the high earners and underperformers, such as Wout Faes, Conor Coady and Boubakary Soumare. Advertisement But director of football Jon Rudkin does not have a good selling record of late, with Youri Tielemans, Caglar Soyuncu, Ayoze Perez and Kelechi Iheanacho leaving for free at the end of their contracts. Having previously sold one big asset each summer in the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Harry Maguire and reinvesting wisely, Leicester's transfer policy in the past few years has been below par. Kasper Schmeichel, Harvey Barnes and James Maddison brought in lower-than-anticipated fees while 2023-24 player of the season, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, moved to Chelsea for £30million ($40.2m at the current exchange rate) last July. Leicester may still get mileage out of long-serving trio James Justin, Ricardo Pereira and Wilfred Ndidi while it looks like they will be stuck with last summer's thirty-something signings Jordan Ayew and Bobby De Cordova-Reid for another year. Leicester have a wealth of academy promise, with their Seagrave training facility paying dividends almost five years after opening. Should Hermansen depart, Jakub Stolarczyk, 24, appears a more than able successor, while 21-year-old centre-back Ben Nelson is well thought of and impressed during 16 starts on loan at Oxford United in the Championship last season. Many Leicester fans hope he forms a partnership with Caleb Okoli. There is a potentially dazzling array of talent going forward. Will Alves, 20, spent the second half of last season on loan at eventually-relegated Cardiff City after making his top-flight debut and representing England in three youth age groups. Jeremy Monga became the second-youngest player in Premier League history when he made his debut at 15 years and 271 days old against Newcastle United in April. Both are touted for big seasons. Louis Page, 17, scored twice in the 3-1 win against League One Peterborough United that began Leicester's pre-season on July 5 while winger Jake Evans, 16, made his first-team debut last season. Add in 18-year-old Olabade Aluko, Silko Thomas, 21, and Michael Golding, a 19-year-old signed from Chelsea last July, and Leicester have a nucleus of talent they believe Cifuentes — who has a track record in developing players — can nurture. Advertisement Abdul Fatawu, a standout in the 2023-24 Championship title-winning campaign alongside Stephy Mavididi on the opposite flank, missed the majority of his first Premier League campaign due to a November anterior cruciate ligament knee injury but will hope to pick up where he left off. Leicester are also preparing for life after the departure of their greatest player. Jamie Vardy spent 13 seasons at the club, scoring 200 goals in 500 games, helping them win the Premier League, FA Cup, Community Shield and two Championship titles. He won the Premier League's Golden Boot in the 2019-20 season and played 26 times for England. He managed three league goals in 37 appearances in 2022-23, when Leicester went down despite having the seventh-highest wage bill in the country, but struck 18 times in 35 games as they bounced straight back up. Vardy, 38, managed a respectable nine goals and four assists in his 35 league matches last season. With those two relegations from the Premier League in the past three seasons, it could be argued that his departure was overdue but City never managed to complement or replace their No 9. Patson Daka was heralded as his successor. There were lofty expectations for the Zambia international after his arrival in summer 2021 after scoring 68 times in 125 games for Red Bull Salzburg, but despite scoring all four goals in a 4-3 defeat of Spartak Moscow in the following season's Europa League, he has only netted 23 times. Vardy's dependability meant the 26-year-old never had a run of games (only 61 of his 121 appearances have been starts), but it is now or never for Daka. One of the biggest criticisms of Leicester's board is the lack of consistency in their managerial appointments. Brendan Rodgers delivered two fifth-placed finishes (although they were in the Champions League places as the final day of the season began in 2020 and 2021), the FA Cup and Community Shield, but his sacking with 10 games to go in 2022-23 came too late. Advertisement Dean Smith was his successor after a fateful two-match spell with Mike Stowell and Adam Sadler in interim charge (Leicester lost both, and finished two points short of safety) but could not save them from the drop. The ownership looked to have struck gold that summer when they appointed Enzo Maresca, who led Leicester back to promotion, although there was still criticism from a section of the fanbase about the Italian's slow, possession-based system. There was sympathy for those in charge when Maresca left for Chelsea, taking Dewsbury-Hall with him — the pair have gone on to win the Conference League and Club World Cup. But the appointment of Steve Cooper, recently manager of local rivals Nottingham Forest, was not well received. Leicester were outside the relegation zone when Cooper was sacked in November after 12 Premier League games. Squad members were then pictured with a sign saying 'Enzo I miss u' during their pre-Christmas outing in Copenhagen. Van Nistelrooy was Cooper's replacement, having beaten Leicester twice in his four games as Manchester United's caretaker manager, but the appointment failed. City set a top-flight record as they failed to score in nine consecutive home games and were relegated with five matches to play. Cifuentes will be expected to implement a similar possession-based system to Maresca. That task will be different from the one he faced at QPR as Leicester will be expected to force the issue. The success of Maresca's side was built on a solid base — they conceded 41 times in 46 games, keeping 15 clean sheets. Leicester found the step up in divisions impossible as they shipped 80 in 38 league matches. Who plays in goal may be a decision taken out of Cifuentes' hands if Hermansen is sold but Justin, Coady, Faes and Victor Kristiansen all struggled in the back four last season, and all may well be moved on too. Luke Thomas did well at left-back despite the team's poor form and could be first choice. Advertisement Australia international centre-back Harry Souttar has returned from a loan at Sheffield United, while centre-back Jannik Vestergaard and Harry Winks, who impressed at the base of Maresca's midfield, were frozen out by Van Nistelrooy. They must be moved on or reintegrated. With a potential points deduction coming for breaching financial rules, a fast start is a must for Cifuentes. (Top photos: Getty Images)
New York Times
35 minutes ago
- New York Times
Charalampos Kostoulas to Brighton: Transfers TLDR
Charalampos Kostoulas is officially a Brighton player after they agreed a deal worth €35m (£29.6m; $41.2m) plus an additional €2m in add-ons with Olympiacos. Brighton announced in June the striker would become their player in July and he has signed a five-year deal that will run through to 2030. As part of this summer's transfer coverage on The Athletic, in addition to breaking news, tactical analysis and in-depth reads, our Transfers TLDR series (you can read them all here) will bring you a quick guide to each of the key deals. Kostoulas' father, Athanasios, won seven Greek Super League titles with Olympiacos and his older brother Konstantinos plays for Portuguese club Rio Ave. As an attacker, Charalampos bucks the family trend — his father and brother are defenders. He joined the Olympiacos academy in 2019 and progressed through the age groups to become the youngest player to represent the club at senior level. He made his debut for the B team in 2023, aged 15. Advertisement In 2023-24, Kostoulas was crucial to Olympiacos' UEFA Youth League title, registering five goals and two assists. The forward went on to make 35 appearances for the first team in 2024-25, scoring seven goals. Cerys Jones Kostoulas loves to drop deep to link play, but Brighton fans can also expect to see him running beyond or across the opposition back line to receive and bear down on goal. The 18-year-old tends to prioritise power over placement while shooting, so despite his strong scoring record, it might be that this needs improving when he plays at a higher level. Anantaajith Raghuraman Kostoulas profiles as a replacement for Brazilian forward Joao Pedro, who has joined Chelsea. So, presuming he develops under head coach Fabian Hurzeler, he could act as an option from the bench. The right-footed forward can play across the front line and as a No 10, so he offers versatility, too. He is excellent at positioning himself within the box to meet crosses and has a good leap, so he offers an aerial threat. Out of possession, he presses aggressively and has the raw materials for Hurzeler to fine-tune, as he did with Joao Pedro last season. Anantaajith Raghuraman According to Transfermarkt, Kostoulas missed most of the final two months of Olympiacos' 2024-25 campaign with a muscular injury, but he has not had any long-term layoffs. Anantaajith Raghuraman 'His technical ability, especially inside the box, is that of a great finisher. He can score with both feet, with his head,' Sotiris Silaidopoulos, who coached him at Olympiacos, told Sky Sports in June. 'But, for me, what people underestimate a lot in Kostoulas is how clever and how intelligent he is during the games. Advertisement 'Most people only see the first parts, like the physicality and how good his technique is. His biggest strength, for me, is his intelligence and how fast he can adapt to what a game needs. It is amazing for his age.' Cerys Jones Kostoulas has joined Brighton on a five-year deal, running until June 2030. Brighton have paid Olympiacos £29.6million (€35m), which could rise by a further £1.7m (€2m) if add-ons are achieved. The deal was initially announced by Brighton on June 12, albeit it remained subject to various regulatory processes, now confirmed as complete. The two announcements straddle Brighton's June 30 financial period end, though the way fees are accounted for means only a slim proportion of the transfer cost could have fallen into 2024-25. Chris Weatherspoon Once assumed agent fees and transfer levies are included, Brighton will have paid around £33.7m to acquire Kostoulas' registration. If the deal is deemed as complete for accounting purposes as of the final announcement, Brighton will book £6.8m a year in annual amortisation from now through the 2029-30 season. If the deal starts to be amortised from 12 June, they'll have booked £300,000 into 2024-25, £6.8m across the current and next three seasons, then £6.5m in 2029-30. Kostoulas' wage is unknown, but will of course take the cost to Brighton of signing him beyond the cost of acquiring his registration. Chris Weatherspoon
