Wrexham AFC: Liberato Cacace happy to handle pressure
Cacace spent the last three-and-a-half years with Empoli and was a key player in 2024-25, scoring twice in 33 games in Serie A, but the 24-year-old was unable to help keep Empoli in Italy's top division and he has decided to move on following their relegation.
There was no shortage of interest in Cacace and he decided to join Wrexham for an undisclosed fee but he is not fazed by the fact Phil Parkinson has spent big on him ahead of the new Championship campaign which kicks-off against Southampton at St Marys Stadium on Saturday August 9.
"Pressure comes with it," admitted Cacace.
"But I am aware of everything that comes with being a footballer and the expectations.
"I have had a few phone calls with the manager and it has all been very positive.
"He knows what he wants from me and I am sure I am going to deliver it."
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Daily Mirror
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Inside Birmingham City as Tom Brady-backed Blues eye Premier League: 'There's only one aim'
Birmingham City instantly bounced back to the Championship last season with a record-breaking campaign and have little interest in mere consolidation in the 2025-26 season Birmingham City are back in the Championship after a season down in the third tier, and the Tom Brady -backed Blues know their assignment: Promotion to the Premier League. Last term, the Midlands club collected a record-breaking 111 points on the way to the League One title, all captured by Amazon Prime cameras in the 'Brady and the Blues: Made in Birmingham' documentary. And they will be there once more this term to capture the action as Chris Davies' side make an immediate push for the top flight. Speaking to Mirror Football ahead of this Friday's season opener against Ipswich Town, defender Ethan Laird said: "It's brilliant [the documentary]. It's something new for us all. You know even though we've come from our respective clubs and experienced different things, it's still crazy having a camera follow you most of the time. "It's something that you have to get used to. And you have to almost be normal around it because when the camera's in your face, it's a bit weird because every action you do, you look at the camera. Obviously you get used to it. "It's different but it's fun at the same time. I'm also glad that you get to see it inside. You don't see everything we get up to but it's nice because I feel like a lot of people are missing now in football when they have no clue what they do. It can make people think things." No one is resting on their laurels at St Andrews, with this season's target clear, both in the boardroom and the dressing room. Laird added: 'It's something that we want to achieve. We've had an amazing season, a record-breaking season. We've done the job we needed to do. 'But there's a lot of Premier League teams in the champ - that's what some people are forgetting. As much as the hype is around Birmingham, I love it, but it's going to be tough. In the Championship, you can lose games like that and win games like that. 'It's about the quality and moments and that's why we love the Championship. That's why this season will probably be the most difficult season we'll ever have. For the way we want to play, ambitions we have. People said a lot about us last year and we still overcame. People are going to say a lot about us this year, let's see if we can overcome it.' Who will win the Championship this season? Share your predictions in the comments below Jay Stansfield played a key role in restoring Birmingham back to the second tier. He plundered 23 goals last term following a club record move from Fulham - which destroyed third tier records. 'We know what we want to achieve," says Stansfield. "We're improving as a club and there's only one aim this season. We'll get on with it. People will be talking but hopefully at the end of the season, it's just good things.' Stansfield, 22, spent five years with Fulham ahead of his £15m move to St Andrews, while Laird is a product of the Manchester United academy. He never managed to make a first-team appearance at Old Trafford in the league but believes that the spotlight with the Red Devils compares to the glare of the Amazon cameras. 'It's very similar [Birmingham and Man United]. I came up at Man United when we were the biggest club in the world. 'They had morals and even on the back of our badges as kids, it said 'relentless'. We had to look at it, understand that word and it was almost subconsciously in our head. No matter what happens, you're sprinting back 60 yards and snapping a guy. And these things were installed in us early. 'And then the main stage was meant for that. There were a lot of things we had to get used to and that's the way we were raised. And now when I'm in Birmingham, it's looking the same. And the ambitions are going to be high. 'You hear what Knighthead say, you hear what the gaffer says, there's a buzz around the club. Everyone can feel something happening, something brewing. And that doesn't just happen. Which means that Birmingham are going to be what they say they're going to be, it's just a matter of when.' Birmingham begin this Friday as they welcome Ipswich - relegated from the Premier League last term after their own back-to-back promotions - to St Andrews. The game comes just under six weeks after England beat Germany in the under-21 Euros final, where Stansfield played a key role for the Young Lions. Instead of enjoying an extended break, he was determined to return as soon as possible. 'A lot of people have asked why I came in straight after the Euros but I wanted to get myself mentally and physically ready for the season. My mentality is that I wanted to just carry on and get into that rhythm again. I didn't really want to stop before the start of the season to make sure I'm totally ready for Ipswich.' A fellow arrival at Birmingham last summer, Christoph Klarer, was also key to Birmingham's return to the second tier. The Austrian defender made 43 appearances for the Blues last term and has been leaning on the expertise of NFL icon Brady, who is a minority stakeholder at the club. 'It's very special for us having someone like Tom with us giving expertise having been at the highest level for so long," says Klarer. 'Every time he speaks, we listen. And we can take a lot of information from his career and what he did to be so successful.' Birmingham have bolstered their chances of success with significant moves in transfer market. Former Premier League winner Demarai Gray, ex-Celtic star Kyogo Furuhashi and Wolves midfielder Tommy Doyle are among their headline arrivals. And Klarer believes their additions can make a major difference. 'We've got very high standards here and they've gelled very quickly with the team. In addition to them being quality players, they're great people as well.' But Laird warns that American investment and lucrative transfers are not what will get Birmingham promoted to the Premier League. Having found a home at St Andrews, he is sure the stories of hardship that each of his teammates have been through will be the driving force behind another successful season in front of the cameras once more. 'There's stories in football. The reason we've got to the places we have is because we've been through those tough times and persevered. We have family who have been in trouble, family who have unfortunately left us. We have to deal with those because we're human and that's what drives us.'
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Championship 1-24 predictions: Promotion race decided as Ipswich and Wrexham discover fate
The Championship is officially back this weekend and the division's 24 teams will all spend the next 10 months battling it out for the prize of promotion to the Premier League After months of ticking off Saturdays on the calendar, we are finally ready to welcome back the Championship ahead of Friday night's big opener between Birmingham City and Ipswich Town. One week on from Leagues One and Two taking centre stage, the Championship will return over the coming days as 24 teams all fight it out for a shot at the big-time: promotion to the Premier League and the untold riches that come with such a feat. The Championship is now regarded as one of the most exciting leagues in Europe in its own right and a big part of that is the unpredictability of it. So, as I'm an absolute glutton for punishment I figured I'd take a crack at trying to do the impossible by predicting where every single team will finish. My 1-24 is below, so feel free to get stuck in and bookmark accordingly for when May comes around... 24 - Sheffield Wednesday Unfortunately, it's hard to see how Sheffield Wednesday recover from a severely damaging summer. Dejphon Chansiri's failure to sell the club has not only caused turmoil off the pitch, from a football perspective it's seen the Owls lose key players. To make matters worse, they are also now bound by restrictions when it comes to replacing them. At the time of writing, Wednesday have made no signings at all this summer and another of their players, Max Lowe, has just handed in his notice and will likely be at a new club before the month is out. If Henrik Pedersen, the Owls' newly minted head coach, keeps Wednesday up then he deserves the keys to the Steel City. 23 - Oxford United In Gary Rowett, Oxford have a manager who practically guarantees Championship survival. Yes, Birmingham went down with Rowett at the helm two years ago, but the damage was done long before he took over. With that being said, I'm tipping them to go down. Why? I'm not blown away with the recruitment in a division which looks far tougher than last year on paper. Goals are probably the biggest concern; Mark Harris started the 2024-25 campaign on fire with four goals in as many games but scored just two more between the end of August and May. They averaged just over a goal a game last season (49 in total) and if Nik Prelec and Will Lankshear fail to hit the ground running, it could be a long hard season. 22 - Hull City Sorry Hull fans, but I've got you marked for the final relegation spot after another turbulent summer under the enigma that is Acun Ilicali. The goodwill that Ilicali built up after acquiring the club back in January 2022 is quickly (and justifiably) eroding and the off-field turmoil that has made headlines in recent months is bound to have a detrimental effect on a squad which has a manager who is untested in the Championship in Sergej Jakirovic. Quality wise, is Hull's squad worse than 21 other Championship teams? No. But I reckon the aforementioned other factors at play will ultimately bring down the Tigers. 21 - Charlton Athletic Charlton will be up against it after coming up through the play-offs, but their activity in the summer transfer window has given me just about enough optimism to back them staying up. While the majority may be untested at Championship level, the Addicks have an abundance of options at the top end of the pitch: Tanto Olaofe, Rob Apter and Charlie Kelman have all arrived for seven-figure fees to bolster an attack which already featured Matty Godden and Miles Leaburn. At the other end of the pitch, Thomas Kaminski and Reece Burke were part of a defence that got relegated last season. But Charlton's options up top should be enough to get them over the line. 20 - Preston North End After sleepwalking into the relegation dogfight last season, Preston North End could well find themselves flirting with League One again in the coming months. Paul Heckingbottom has good Championship pedigree and could be worth his weight in gold if the season plays out how I think it might. At the time of writing, PNE are among a clutch of clubs pursuing a deal for Wycombe's Richard Kone which would arguably be one of the division's top summer coups. But at the moment - like most of the clubs I'm tipping to finish in the lower echelons of the table - I'm not bowled over with PNE's current options in attack. Will they go down? No. But I don't think they'll be tearing up any trees. 19 - Blackburn Rovers Tipping the team who finished seventh last year to end up in 19th place this time around feels bold, but I'm struggling to see how Blackburn improve on that this time around. The reasoning? Well, they've lost two of last season's top performers in Tyrhys Dolan and Callum Brittain. When you then factor in the departure of Andi Weimann, Rovers feel light on firepower and it's hard to see where the goals will come from. The jury is still out on Valerian Ismael for me personally, too. 19th might feel low but at the same time I think Blackburn are substantially better than the bottom five and won't be looking over their shoulder in terms of relegation. 18 - Wrexham This is one of the shouts which could age horrifically over the next nine months given Wrexham are capable of doing pretty much anything in the transfer window between now and 1 September, but their current squad struggles on paper. They've signed well and players like Lewis O'Brien, Josh Windass and Kiefer Moore are quality additions. But the majority of Wrexham's players are not Championship calibre, which is completely understandable given their rapid rise through the divisions. Phil Parkinson has taken Wrexham from non-league to the second-tier but his Championship record is unremarkable to say the least. He won just 26 games across 141 during spells at Bolton and Charlton and I don't see that changing this year, which could leave Wrexham with a tough decision to make. 17 - Stoke City Mark Robins worked wonders during a near-decade long spell at Coventry City. And if anyone needs a bit of magic after a few dire years in the Championship, it's Stoke. They've failed to finish in the top half of the Championship at all since dropping down to the second-tier eight years ago and even with Robins at the helm (who I rate highly) I'm not ultra convinced that sorry run changes this year. They do, however, have one of the best goalkeepers in the Championship in Viktor Johansson. And I like the signings of Sorba Thomas and Maksym Taloverov. I fancy Stoke to be steady but they won't rip up any trees. 16 - Middlesbrough Rob Edwards has replaced Michael Carrick at the helm ahead of the new campaign but I'm not convinced that move has particularly made Middlesbrough a better bet for promotion. Yes, Edwards guided Luton to the Premier League three years ago. But do I deem him as an improvement on Carrick? No. Nor do I think Boro have an infinitely better squad this time around even if I think the additions of Alfie Jones, Callum Brittain and Abdoulaye Kante are good ones on paper. Boro will need to replace the goals of Emmanuel Latte-Lath if they are to trouble the top-six this season. Add in the fact that Boro's other two top players in Hayden Hackney and Rav van den Berg could also be sold all of a sudden things are looking pretty bleak. 15 - Portsmouth Portsmouth stayed up with games to spare last year and I'm expecting a year of consolidation this term under the impressive John Mousinho. Adrian Segecic is an intriguing signing, while John Swift is still a quality operator at this level. They feel light in attack, though, and it's imperative that Josh Murphy and Colby Bishop stay fit if Pompey are to stay clear of trouble. They will be buoyed by how they finished last season, though, and boast one of the EFL's top young managers, so I'm backing more progress for Pompey. 14 - Bristol City Liam Manning took Bristol City to the play-offs last season but I can't see Gerard Struber replicating that feat this season. Style-wise, going from Manning's controlled approach to Struber's heavy metal football is quite the leap. But with the Championship's fascination of keeping possession for possessions' sake dying out, Struber's philosophy should translate well. For me, the biggest question mark yet again is around the goals. Anis Mehmeti top scored last year with 12, followed by Nakhi Wells on 10 and Scott Twine on five. That's a big drop and Wells is no longer around. Is Emil Riis the answer? The jury is out on that for me personally but he has hit double figures in two of his five seasons in the Championship for PNE - including last year - and should be a good fit for what Struber wants to do. A drop-off from last year feels inevitable, though. 13 - West Brom West Brom are probably the hardest team to place for me in this. Much of that is down to their new head coach, Ryan Mason. The former Tottenham man has never been the main man before and while he inherits a decent squad on paper, this is largely the same group which fell away from the play-off picture after Carlos Corberan departed on Christmas Eve (good tidings and all that). Firepower is something they do have with Josh Maja and Daryl Dike now joined by summer signing Aune Heggebo. Sometimes it's alright to hold your hands up and say, in all honesty, I haven't a clue. And that's very much the case with me and West Brom here. 12 - QPR A mid table finish might be boring, but I think QPR will be anything but this season. After all, they have Illias Chair, Karamoko Dembele and Kwame Poku in their ranks after landing the latter from Peterborough United on a free transfer. Will that translate into a top-six finish? Maybe; there's certainly lots to like about their squad and Julien Stephan is an intriguing choice to replace Marti Cifuentes. Keeping goals out was the issue last season, rather than scoring them, but Amadou Mbengue is a shrewd pick-up, as is bringing in Steve Bould - formerly of Arsenal - as head of defensive coaching. Could QPR trouble the top-six? Anyone from this point in should be in the picture and I'd have them higher if I was higher personally on their No 9 options. 11 - Derby County I almost tipped Derby to finish a couple of places higher than this and I quietly fancy John Eustace will make them a bit of a force after coming in and having a huge impact last season. Eustace is a top coach and Derby have added well: Carlton Morris, Patrick Agyemang and Rhian Brewster will spearhead a new-look attack alongside the returning Andi Weimann and David Ozoh is also back for another loan spell. Derby have strengthened in key areas, suffered no big losses and have a coach who outperformed his parts at both Birmingham and Blackburn. The Rams will go well indeed. 10 - Swansea City Swansea have done some quality business. But I'm not sold on them having the depth to push for a top-six finish. Picking up Cameron Burgess on a free transfer from Ipswich is one of the most eye-catching deals of the summer and Ethan Galbraith just oozes class. But they still feel a quality striker short of being bonafide play-off contenders. I like Alan Sheehan, though, and I think Swansea are a good bet for a top-10 finish. Higher than that? Maybe next year. 9 - Norwich City Norwich were one of the Championship's biggest disappointments last year under the uninspiring Johannes Hoff Thorup. Enter Liam Manning, who defied the odds to steer Bristol City into the play-offs last season. I'm a big fan of Manning and Norwich have been ambitious in the transfer market with 11 new signings. Most are unknown quantities at this level but some, such as Papa Amadou Diallo and Mathias Kvistgaarden, are eye-catching additions. If they can hit the ground running in Norfolk, then expect Norwich to push higher than ninth - even if they lose the impressive Josh Sargeant. At the bare minimum, though, the appointment of Manning and Norwich's attempt to overhaul a squad which massively fell short of expectations last year are signs that the Canaries are back on the right track. 8 - Leicester City Plenty fancy Leicester for an instant return to the Premier League, but I don't think it will be as cut and dried as that. Marti Cifuentes is fine as a Championship operator. But the division is strong this year and I'm not sure that fine cuts it. The same goes for Leicester's squad; there have been no major additions to the group that dropped out of the top-flight last year and they look light on quality No 9 options. A possible points deduction would leave Cifuentes and Co with a mountain to climb from the off. When you also factor in financial concerns, fan unrest and the likelihood of key players such as Mads Hermansen and Bilal El Khannouss moving on, it gets harder to tip Leicester for that top-six finish. My gut says they miss out. 7 - Watford 12 months on from being suitably worried about Watford to tip them for the drop, I've done a complete 180 and am labelling them as my dark horses this year. They've got a player I rate as one of the division's very best in Giorgi Chakvetadze and there's serious quality around him, too, in the form of Imran Louza and Kwadwo Baah. Furthermore, Watford's summer business on paper looks exciting even if the likes of Nestory Irankunda and Luca Kjerrumgaard are Championship newbies. The same can be said for the Hornets' new head coach, Paulo Pezzolano. And while that means there's maybe an element of risk backing Watford to finish this high, there's lots to like about them this year. And after being proved massively wrong by them last year, I'm all in on Watford this year. 6 - Birmingham City Birmingham have one thing on their mind this season: promotion back to the Premier League. And while that may seem bold for a team who have just come up from League One, they look nailed on for a top-six finish. If we're being blunt, Birmingham's squad was far too good for the third-tier last year. Add in the likes of Tommy Doyle, Kyogo Furuhashi, Demarai Gray and Eiran Cashin amongst others to that group and you've got a squad which is up there with the best in this division. Do I think Blues go up automatically? No. But they should be shoo-ins for the top-six unless something goes drastically wrong. 5 - Millwall Without being biased (honestly) I think this is the year Millwall finally crack the top-six after some near misses in recent years. 4-4-2 is sexy again down at The Den and Mihailo Ivanovic and Josh Coburn (signed permanently for a club-record fee after a positive loan spell) have the scope to add the goals Millwall have been sorely lacking in recent years. In the former, it feels like the Lions have a genuine golden boot contender IF they can keep him beyond 1 September. The signing of Alfie Doughty is a major coup and his quality can keep Millwall's front two well fed, while in Alex Neil the Lions' boast one of the Championship's most consistent coaches. What does this all add up to? I'm saying a fifth place finish. 4 - Sheffield United We'll start on Sheffield United with this: I really like Ruben Selles and Hull's decision to sack him will be another decision from their eccentric owner that doesn't age well. The Blades already have a strong squad, albeit one which struggled to get over the line when it mattered at the business end of last season. They have quality all over the pitch and in Michael Cooper and Gus Hamer, they have two of the division's best players in their respective positions. Anel Ahmedhodzic would have been pooled similarly and his departure to Feyenoord is a significant blow. But Sheffield United have too much quality to not be in the mix for a top-two finish - even if I'm tipping them to fall short again. 3 - Coventry City Coventry made the top-six last term and while I think they will miss out on going one better, I reckon Frank Lampard and Co will get another crack at the play-offs this time around. They've added to what is already a quality squad and will be all the better for their failed play-off campaign last season. Goals are no concern with only the two promoted sides and Norwich bettering Coventry's tally of 64 strikes last term and in Carl Rushworth they have a quality operator in between their own sticks. Yes, Lampard had the benefit of inheriting a squad with quality all over the pitch when replacing Mark Robins last season but players like Jack Rudoni have flourished under him. And there should be more to come from Coventry, Rudoni and their manager this season. 2 - Southampton Southampton have way too much firepower to not be in the promotion mix and in Will Still, they have one of the most promising young coaches in football. Does that translate to promotion? Yeah, basically. I don't really see any other outcome: the Saints' squad is absolutely stacked and they will overpower plenty of teams in their bid to make an instant return to the Premier League led by Still, whose CV is impressive and varied enough to outweigh the caveat of him being an unknown quantity in the Championship. Sometimes football is simple. The best players, in this case those of Southampton, will win lots of matches and subsequently promotion. 1 - Ipswich Town They blitzed their way to successive promotions two years ago and Ipswich should be all the stronger for last season's unsuccessful crack at attempting to stay in the Premier League. The fact that Kieran McKenna's stock remains largely intact following relegation should tell you everything you need to know about the Ipswich Town manager and the swashbuckling style that took them to promotion two years ago should translate well with how the division is shaping up this year. Liam Delap may be gone but Ipswich have more options in attack than a Swiss Army knife: Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene have torn up the Championship before, as has Sammie Szmodics. Omari Hutchinson is also still around at the time of writing, and that's before you even factor in the likes of Chiedozie Ogbene, George Hirst and Conor Chaplin. The most important thing about Ipswich is that they don't feel like damaged goods after succumbing to relegation last term. They will start the season as red-hot favourites for the title and it's not hard to see why. 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.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Alan Shearer's Premier League predictions for all 20 places this season including champions
Alan Shearer has laid out his predictions for the final 2025-26 Premier League table, as Liverpool aim to retain their crown and Manchester United hope for serious improvements Alan Shearer has cast his eye over the upcoming Premier League and believes the status quo could remain at the top and the bottom. Last season we didn't get much of a title race given how dominant and consistent the fast-starting Liverpool were. They have spent huge sums, which includes the British-record signing Florian Wirtz, in an effort to go back-to-back. Alexander Isak could yet move to Anfield and Shearer cannot look past the Reds as champions. Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland are back in the top flight. They'll be wanting to snap the concerning recent trend that has seen promoted teams head straight back to the Championship. However, Shearer has tipped all three to enjoy just one year in the Premier League before they go back down. That would mark the third year in succession that the three promoted teams cannot survive in what is a concerning trend, further highlighting the gulf between the top flight and the second tier. Arsenal have been tipped to finish second for the fourth year running - which will not please Mikel Arteta. He has spent big, adding Viktor Gyokeres as his No.9, but may still miss out on the prize that he is desperate to land with pressure mounting. Manchester City experienced a lull last term and begin a year without Kevin De Bruyne for the first time in a decade. Despite adding reinforcements Shearer hasn't backed Pep Guardiola and Co. to regain their crown, instead picking them in third. Their cross-city rivals, Manchester United, reached new lows last term and have signed some notable names in attack, as Ruben Amorim aims to seriously improve their fortunes. The pundit is predicting a better year but still not one where they return to the Champions League. Instead, he feels Chelsea and Newcastle - two clubs with very different experiences this summer - will both finished above the Red Devils. Newcastle's year may hinge on whether Isak stays or if they get in a top class replacement. Chelsea meanwhile have not struggled to get firepower through the door. Last year's surprise package, Nottingham Forest, will have to combine their domestic efforts with Europa League football. That will be a new challenge but Shearer still believes they will still be a top half side. Tottenham have embarked on a new era, sacking Ange Postecoglou despite his European success. Thomas Frank has a tough job on his hands but Shearer has backed them to finish in eighth, narrowly behind Aston Villa. The Midlands club have benefited from having Unai Emery at the helm but with so much competition at the top they've been tipped to fall again. Brentford now have Keith Andrews at the helm and have been backed to narrowly avoid the drop, finishing just above the bottom three in 17th. West Ham too have been tipped to have a difficult year despite Graham Potter getting a first full season in charge in London. For the likes of Everton and Crystal Palace it is another safe year of mid-table football. The Eagles will have European football, albeit not in the competition they wanted. Shearer's predicted Premier League table 1. Liverpool 2. Arsenal 3. Man City 4. Chelsea 5. Newcastle 6. Man United 7. Aston Villa 8. Tottenham 9. Nottingham Forest 10. Brighton 11. Bournemouth 12. Crystal Palace 13. Everton 14. Wolves 15. Fulham 16. West Ham 17. Brentford 18. Leeds 19. Sunderland 20. Burnley Article continues below *Predictions from Betfair.
