Lazio can only sign Chiesa through Zaccagni sale
Lazio have been one of several Serie A clubs linked with Federico Chiesa, but a major sacrifice would be needed to make room for the Liverpool winger.
The 27-year-old may have earned a Premier League winning medal at the end of the season, but his role in Arne Slot's plans was very limited.
Therefore, the Italian is seemingly eager to return to his home country in search of a prominent role.
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New York Times
22 minutes ago
- New York Times
Are players signed for record-breaking transfer fees affected by the pressure of their price?
In 1979, Trevor Francis became Great Britain's first million-pound football player. Not that his new manager, the legendary Brian Clough, was always happy to admit it. Clough, then in charge of Nottingham Forest, and Jim Smith, his counterpart at Birmingham City, from where Francis moved, agreed to announce the fee as £999,999, even though more than a million quid actually changed hands. Advertisement The decision was meant to help Clough, the master psychologist, prick the ego of his new striker, but also to remove some of the pressure associated with such a landmark figure that would inevitably fall on Francis' shoulders. More than four decades later, it is little surprise that clubs often play down the fees they pay for players, with private briefings, nods and winks designed to keep the figures reported as low as they can get away with, or even left at 'undisclosed', keeping that potential pressure in mind. Step forward then, Florian Wirtz, the latest player to wear the heavy tag of Britain's most expensive footballer — well, possibly. If the add-on clauses included in his transfer are achieved, the additional £16million that goes from Liverpool to Germany's Bayer Leverkusen will make his move a record in the British game. For now, the £100million ($134.3m) guaranteed fee makes the 22-year-old Germany international forward Liverpool's record signing, and the club might well be pleased that Wirtz does not initially have to deal with the extra pressure that has weighed heavily on others. 'The beginning was tough for me,' said Moises Caicedo, the current British record signing — £115million from Brighton & Hove Albion to Chelsea in 2023 — told reporters during the latter's pre-season tour to the United States last summer. 'Because you are at a big club, the price, you always have to win every game.' The Ecuador international midfielder is not the first player to experience the pressure of record-transfer status. More than two decades earlier, in 2002, England centre-back Rio Ferdinand left Leeds United for Manchester United in a £29million deal that made him the country's most expensive player. 'The pressure it brings is immeasurable, it's huge,' Ferdinand said last year on his FIVE podcast. 'Anything you do, anywhere you walk… people don't even have to say anything to you, but subconsciously you feel that people are looking at you and thinking about and talking about the price. 'Wherever you go, whether it's to the local shop for a loaf of bread, whether it's filling your car up with petrol or walking down the road with your missus, you just think all eyes are on you and that all they're thinking about is the transfer fee and expectation. Advertisement 'Then you walk out onto the training pitch — expectations. You walk into the canteen at the training ground — expectations. Away grounds — expectations. Everybody's anticipating £100million worth, that big record performance, everywhere you go, people are expecting world-class, above-average-all-the-time, elite-always, beyond-your-wildest-dreams performances, whatever you do.' Over three decades, the size of the British transfer record has increased more than tenfold. In 1995, striker Stan Collymore's move from Nottingham Forest to Liverpool for £8.5million was the milestone deal raising eyebrows. Collymore's record for Liverpool was more than respectable — 26 goals in 61 Premier League appearances at a rate of 0.49 per 90 minutes — but he did not bring the spectacular results the club had hoped for and could not help them land the elusive Premier League title to break the dominance of Manchester United. More than 30 years later, Wirtz will not have that issue to contend with. He is joining a club already sitting at the top of the tree, having won the title last season, but there are still lessons that Collymore believes he, and Liverpool, can learn. 'I'd like to see very dampened-down messaging from the club — no pianos, like Alexis Sanchez, when he signed for Man United (from Arsenal in 2018),' Collymore said to 'If Liverpool do it like that, then he will settle much quicker than if he comes in as a superstar. If the club indulge that, and do what Manchester United have, to their cost, over many transfers, there could be a problem. 'I think Liverpool should, and will, help him. It all starts on the reveal. Manchester United made a rod for their own back with the likes of Sanchez and Paul Pogba, because it was kind of like embracing the galactico thing. There is a temptation with any club to say, 'We're champions of England and look who we can buy', but I think that is very anti-Liverpool. Advertisement 'It happened a bit when I signed. It was made a very big deal, instead of just getting me through the door and letting me settle in. Every good game, it was, 'The record transfer has scored'. Every bad game, it was, 'The record transfer hasn't played well'. And that gets in the way.' Wirtz's success or failure in terms of handling the pressure of that fee might be decided by his own mentality. Thirteen months after Collymore's switch to Anfield, Newcastle United blew his fee out of the water by paying £15million to bring local-lad striker Alan Shearer home from Blackburn Rovers, where he had scored the goals to help them clinch a Premier League title the previous year. That was a world-record transfer and, while Shearer could not help his hometown club lift a trophy, he did get 206 goals in all competitions over a decade to cement his place as the club's, and the Premier League's, record scorer. Perhaps it is easier said than done, but Shearer claims he simply never allowed the cost of his transfer to become a mental issue. 'The really funny thing is that I never felt that pressure,' Shearer wrote in his column for The Athletic in 2022. 'Not once. Not at all. 'You often hear or read about players being weighed down by their price tag after a move, about them struggling to live up to it, but although it did feel like a ridiculous, obscene amount of money for a club to spend on me (or on anybody), it wasn't a burden. It made me feel extremely proud, excited, special, 10 feet tall. Truth be told, I absolutely loved it. 'A scruffy little lad from Park Avenue in Gosforth, who couldn't wait to get home from school and put stones down on the street as makeshift goals and play with his pals was now the planet's most expensive footballer. Work that one out! 'To me, it was a dream, an amazing privilege. I felt honoured that someone was prepared to shell out that much cash for me, but it wasn't my cash. And if it was a gamble, then it wasn't mine. Advertisement 'I'd experienced something similar four years earlier, when I moved from Southampton to Blackburn for a domestic transfer record of £3.6million. That figure sounds so quaint now, doesn't it? It was Jack Walker's investment but he was paying for me to do what I'd always done, which was to go out and score goals, to do my stuff. 'The size of the fee wasn't my doing. All it did was make me feel more confident. I'm old enough to remember Trevor Francis joining Nottingham Forest in 1979 and becoming Britain's first £1million player, a figure that felt outlandish and impossible: 'My God. How much?!'' It is a sentiment that Clough possibly shared, so much so that he attempted to manipulate the narrative to both take the pressure off Francis and allow him to keep his new star grounded. 'Since February 1979, myth has surrounded the actual transfer figure paid by Forest and still does,' the late Francis wrote in his 2019 autobiography, One in a Million. 'There are two questions that I get regularly asked, 'What was it like playing for Clough?' and, 'Was the fee really £999,999?' 'That second question is still asked of me, and I guarantee that in the next few days someone will stop me and say, 'Clough didn't pay £1million for you'. The myth was created by Clough himself. In his usual flippant way, he knew that whatever he said would make headlines, so he created the idea that a £1m transfer fee might have a negative effect on me, therefore he had reduced it.' It seems unlikely that Arne Slot will go to such lengths to persuade the public that Wirtz cost Liverpool less than he did. But the testimony of many players suggests that record-transfer pressure is real. So do not expect Liverpool to shout about Wirtz's new-found status. (Top photo of Florian Wirtz: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
Business Upturn
an hour ago
- Business Upturn
Manchester United submit second bid for Bryan Mbeumo; Will this meet Brentford's valuation?
Manchester United have submitted another official bid to sign Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford. By Ravi Kumar Jha Published on June 24, 2025, 08:41 IST Manchester United have submitted another official bid to sign Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford as he is their top target in the summer transfer window now. United want the forward badly as they are in negotiations since the start of the window. However, Brentford aren't agreeing on the transfer fee, but the new bid is in excess of €60 million which is said to be close to what the club values the forward. Despite this, the club is expected to make few changes in the fee and this deal is likely to be done soon. Manchester United have submitted a fresh official bid to sign Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo, who is now considered their top target in the ongoing summer transfer window. The Red Devils have been in negotiations with Brentford since the window opened, showing strong intent to land the versatile forward. According to sources, United's latest offer exceeds €60 million, bringing them closer to Brentford's valuation of the Cameroon international. While the London-based club has so far resisted agreeing on a fee, this improved bid is said to have moved talks in a positive direction. The Premier League giants are reportedly eager to finalise the deal soon, with only minor adjustments expected in the fee structure. Mbeumo, who scored 9 goals and provided 6 assists in the 2023/24 season despite injury setbacks, has emerged as a priority signing for Erik ten Hag's side as they look to strengthen their attack. Ahmedabad Plane Crash Ravi kumar jha is an undergraduate student in Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia and Mass Communication. A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication and he also has a genuine interest in sports. Ravi is currently working as a journalist at
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Expected exit of Optus from sports streaming market leaves race in Australia finely poised
Optus Sport are expected to sell the broadcast rights to the Premier League to Stan Sports in a deal worth around $300m. Optus Sport are expected to sell the broadcast rights to the Premier League to Stan Sports in a deal worth around $300m. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA One of the pioneers of Australian streaming is set to depart the local market as early as this week, marking the end of the first epoch in the over-the-top sports broadcast revolution. Optus Sport is close to selling its suite of rights, including its jewel the Premier League, almost nine years after it launched in Australia. The exit will be the sector's biggest departure during a decade-long rights-grab, as fans of some sports were left with no choice but to pick up two or more pay-TV platforms in order to follow their favourite sports. Advertisement Related: Ange Postecoglou's triumph breaks streaming record as Australians tune in 'in droves' Stan – owned by Nine Entertainment – is now the only home-grown sport subscription streaming player in Australia, following the acquisition of Foxtel by UK-based, Saudi Arabia-backed Dazn earlier this year. Stan was set up in 2015, initially as a joint venture between Nine and Fairfax Media. After an initial focus on entertainment, its anticipated acquisition of Optus' rights for an expected sum of around $300m establishes the Stan Sport brand as the clear No 2 behind – and major challenger to – Foxtel/Kayo Sports, which holds the rights to AFL and NRL. The Stan deal is set to be announced in coming days, but it has been business as usual for Optus Sport. The telco has been promoting the Uefa Women's Euro 2025 tournament, which gets underway early in July. An Optus spokesperson said 'all companies regularly review their businesses to ensure they are maximising value and realising their full potential – Optus is no different. We don't comment on speculation.' Optus Sport launched in 2016 as an early sports streaming specialist, part of the so-called over-the-top (OTT), Netflix-style distribution model that bypassed traditional cable or satellite-based providers and instead used the ordinary internet connections of customers to deliver content. Advertisement Sports rights consultant Jon Marquard – who was involved with Optus Sport for much of its time in Australia, up until around 18 months ago – said the strategy worked for a time but the company has shifted focus in recent years. 'That period of 2019 to 2023, culminating in the Women's World Cup, added around $1bn to the brand value of Optus when it had faced other challenges including the major outage and cyber incident,' he said. 'It was undeniably a good thing for the first six years, but the writing has been on the wall for a while relative to other streamers, as globalisation has occurred and new players have come into the market, and Optus hasn't been able to keep pace with that.' Amazon – through its ICC cricket rights – and Disney – via this year's introduction of ESPN on its Disney+ service – are now prominent in the Australian marketplace, while other online subscription players including Netflix and Apple have purchased rights overseas. Advertisement Although Optus' football offering has been comprehensive, including the Women's Super League in England, and international competitions, it was not able to become the pre-eminent destination for fans of the sport. Paramount+ screens Matildas, Socceroos and A-League football, and Stan Sport has rights to the European Champions League. 'It's a credit to Nine to keep going and look to increase scale,' Marquard said. 'To go out and reinvest in rugby domestically and the World Cups, and now increasing their football portfolio, they need that.' Stan will be broadcasting Wimbledon, the British & Irish Lions tour and the pay-per-view boxing bout between Paul Gallen and Sonny Billy Williams in coming weeks, underlining its growing presence across multiple sports. But Marquard suggested a more compelling sports offering gives Stan an opportunity to increase the number of its customers subscribing to more than just its entertainment package. Stan's basic package costs $12 per month, while Stan Sport – introduced in 2020 – is an additional $15. The Gallen-Williams fight costs $70. Stan has reported 2.3m subscribers, but only a fraction of those also pay for sport. Advertisement 'As a result of this acquisition, I would expect them to look at their product offering again to see how they can get their sport package to a larger proportion of their customer base,' Marquard said. The exit of Optus Sport, which has Premier League rights until 2028, means one less subscription for football fans – saving $10 per month for Optus customers or $25 for others. However, the picture has been complicated by Kayo's re-emergence in the sport. The Fifa Club World Club is currently being shown on Australia's most popular sports streaming platform as a direct result of Dazn's $US1bn deal with Fifa. The Dazn acquisition is likely to trigger more changes for the local market. Around 100 Foxtel staff were made redundant in April, and Kayo increased its monthly pricing by $5 this month; its standard package is now $30. The NRL rights from 2028 are currently being negotiated. Stan's commitment to growing its portfolio, together with its place in the stable of current NRL free-to-air partner Nine, means a partnership with another pay-TV provider – like the current share with Foxtel/Kayo – makes little sense. Advertisement Related: News Corp bets big on AI tools but journalists voice concerns | Weekly Beast Yet Dazn, backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, has deep pockets. It paid $3.4bn to acquire Foxtel and its 4.7m subscribers in Australia, and it appears patient in recouping its investment in the Club World Cup. While all matches are available on Kayo, both live and as replays on demand, the tournament is also available on the Dazn platform, which is still available to Australian customers. There – in line with its approach overseas – live matches are free but replays, higher quality video and sound, and fewer ads are only available to subscribers for $30 per month, or $15 for an annual commitment. While free-to-air television is still considered by lawmakers to be Australians' primary mode of watching sport – thereby ensuring its major events are protected under anti-siphoning law – enough will soon cut the cord and move to internet-served smart TVs and mobile devices to challenge this legacy dynamic. The recent investment by Seven and Nine in their own ad-supported online platforms suggests they know what is coming. But for now, the Optus exit leaves the sports streaming race finely poised.
