Semedo departure 'typical' - fans split on captain's exit
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Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Liverpool's new £79m striker Hugo Ekitike reveals why he joined the Premier League champions and issues warning to their title rivals after impressive Anfield debut
Hugo Ekitike has opened up on his decision to join Liverpool in a £79million deal and issued a warning to their Premier League title rivals after impressing in his first appearance at Anfield. The Frenchman was part of the Reds squad that contested the second of two matches against LaLiga side Athletic Bilbao on Monday, assisting the side's opener in a 3-2 win, following a 4-1 victory for the less experienced roster hours earlier. Ekitike was one of five new signings to feature for Arne Slot 's free-spending side, who were playing in their first home match since the tragic death of forward Diogo Jota, as the Premier League champions put the finishing touches on their preparations for the new campaign. Liverpool saw off competition from the likes of Newcastle and Manchester United to secure the 23-year-old's signature and after making a great first impression in front of the home support, Ekitike claimed that made the switch from Eintracht Frankfurt 'to win'. 'We have a group of competitors,' he told LFCTV. 'We want to win everything. We are going to give 100 per cent. I am going to give 100 per cent. I am here to win.' The young forward linked up well with his new team-mates despite Monday's clash being only the second time he has turned out alongside them. The France Under 21 international hailed his new colleagues, adding: 'I enjoy playing with them. 'Outside of the pitch they are good guys. We have some little things to fix, on the ball. I have things I can do better. I am going to enjoy playing with them for the season.' Ekitike's acquisition is the most recent by Liverpool this summer but it is unlikely to be their last piece of business before the window closes at the start of next month. Darwin Nunez, who scored in the first match at Anfield, has been heavily linked with a move away this summer and is attracting interest from AC Milan and Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal. Meanwhile, the Reds are eyeing an audacious move for Newcastle United star Alexander Isak and saw an opening £110m bid rejected on Friday. The Reds are next in action in the Community Shield, where they will face FA Cup winners Crystal Palace at Wembley. They begin the defence of their Premier League title at home against Bournemouth on August 15.
The Guardian
29 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Premier League 2025-26 preview No 3: Bournemouth
Guardian writers' predicted position: 10th (NB: this is not necessarily Ben Fisher's prediction but the average of our writers' tips) Last season's position: 9th Three months ago, Bournemouth won at Arsenal for the first time to maintain their hopes of qualifying for Europe with three games to go. It was an impressive comeback victory built on set pieces, Dean Huijsen heading the equaliser from Antoine Semenyo's long throw – cue the Chill Guy meme celebration – before Evanilson poked in a scruffy but well-worked winner from a corner. Bournemouth came up short in their quest to play in Europe as a positive season fizzled out after three wins from their final 15 matches. And now three of their back five from that day have departed – Huijsen for Real Madrid, Milos Kerkez for Liverpool and Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was on loan from Chelsea, for Arsenal. The expectation is that Illia Zabarnyi will become the next high-profile exit, with Paris Saint-Germain pushing to sign the 22-year-old. The fact Bournemouth sold Huijsen to Real in a £50m deal after a single season and 36 appearances serves as a reminder of the club's journey across the last decade, and their continued eye for smart business. The thing worth remembering is that while it appears Bournemouth have been decimated, those on the inside recognise this is how their buy-low, sell-high model works. The downside is the breakup of a brilliant, buccaneering defence. Whether Bournemouth can cope with a flurry of key departures remains to be seen but this summer they moved to find a permanent goalkeeping solution in Djordje Petrovic, a £25m signing from Chelsea. Finding a commanding No 1 capable of holding down the position had been a priority after acknowledging the stability rival clubs had gained from making similar moves. Petrovic, who shone on loan at Strasbourg last season, would appear a solid platform on which to build. But for a team that operated with a thin squad last season, it is impossible to shake the sense that starting over represents a daunting task. Andoni Iraola led Bournemouth to 56 points last season, their record tally in the top flight, as they finished ninth, equalling their best finish. His appointment two years ago, driven by the now Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes, has proved a masterstroke and last term enhanced the reputation of Iraola, the definition of a hands-on coach, among rivals. The 43-year-old is into the final 12 months of his contract and while he prefers working on rolling contracts, another extension is up in the air. Iraola, who does a good line in self-deprecation, is a self-confessed fidget: he clicks a multi-colour pen throughout interviews and tapes over some of his fingers for superstitious reasons. 'It's stupid,' he said. 'But I have done it for so many years that I continue doing it.' Bournemouth's 80-year-old billionaire owner, Bill Foley, flew from the US in April to formally open the club's £35m state-of-the-art training complex and on the same visit he shared another welcome nugget: he has agreed a deal to buy their Vitality Stadium home, allowing Bournemouth to expand its capacity to about 20,000. The Cherries have been locked into an onerous lease with the property company Structadene, which bought the ground in 2005, then known as Dean Court, for £3.5m, a deal that helped the club avoid administration. Foley – via his Black Knight consortium – added the Portuguese club Moreirense to his stable, which includes investments in Lorient, Hibernian and Auckland FC. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion There was so much noise about Kerkez's departure for Liverpool that the arrival of his replacement, signed before Kerkez officially headed for Anfield, went under the radar. Adrien Truffert has the tools to be a breakout star in the Premier League. Bournemouth sealed the signing of the 23-year-old Belgium-born left-back for an initial £11.4m from Rennes, a fee the Cherries – and some of their top-flight rivals who have tracked the full-back – regard a snip given his profile. Truffert, capped once by France in 2022, was captain of Rennes and made his 150th Ligue 1 appearance in May. Perhaps it is a quirk of fate that as a toddler he lived in Bournemouth for a year with his family. Daniel Adu-Adjei spent the first half of last season on loan at the bottom of League Two, scoring two goals in 17 appearances for relegated Carlisle, so it would be quite the jump if he is involved. The 20-year-old striker, born in Hammersmith to Ghanaian parents, has impressed in pre-season, scoring against Everton, and trained regularly with the first team at the beginning of this year. His father, William, regards Tony Yeboah as one of his closest friends, while Daniel is studying a nutrition course funded by the Professional Footballers' Association, his go-to dish a BBQ pulled chicken burger. 'At Carlisle, I lived by myself and had to cook all my dinners so I learned a lot,' he said. Few players had as satisfying a summer as Alex Scott. Even an awkward face mask, the result of a fractured jaw sustained against Aston Villa in May, could not dampen his spirits. Scott starred for England as Lee Carsley's under-21s won the European Championship in Slovakia, starting all five matches, though he was forced off through injury in the final. Bournemouth paid Bristol City £25m to sign Scott two years ago but his progress has been stop-start and he began only eight matches last season, largely owing to a lengthy knee injury. Scott, 22 this month, is a throwback midfielder, a cute passer with an endearing appetite to get his hands dirty. Everybody is craving to see more of his talent.
Daily Mail
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Key Man City player 'reaches agreement in principle' over new contract after racking up over 200 games in last five seasons
Manchester City have reportedly agreed a new contract with one of Pep Guardiola 's key players. City are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2024-25 campaign in which they lost nine Premier League games and finished 13 points behind champions Liverpool. More than £150million has been spent on new signings so far this summer, with the likes of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and James Trafford arriving to freshen up Guardiola's first-team squad. According to The Athletic, City have agreed a deal in principle that will ensure star centre back Ruben Dias remain at the Etihad Stadium for the foreseeable future. His existing deal currently runs until June 2027, with his new contract said to be a significant extension. This latest extension comes after team-mate Erling Haaland penned a new nine-and-a-half-year contract in January. Dias has won four Premier League titles since joining City from Benfica for a fee in the region of £65m in September 2020. He has played in 222 matches for City, who will begin their 2025-26 campaign away at Wolves on August 16. Dias featured in three of City's four matches at this summer's FIFA Club World Cup, including the shock 4-3 defeat by Saudi side Al-Hilal. enjoying a holiday in Ibiza with girlfriend Maya Jama.
