Wales leave it late and farewell to Trent Alexander-Arnold
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On the podcast today; Elis James reports from a hotel bed in North Macedonia as Wales get a late injury-time equaliser. The team wrap up the rest of the international break as Argentina hammer Brazil and what are the implications of countries like Iran qualifying for a tournament in Donald Trump's America?
Elsewhere, we look ahead to some fascinating FA Cup quarter-finals and Arsenal produce a stunning second-half performance to overcome Real Madrid in the Women's Champions League.
Plus, James Montague joins us to talk about his new book 'Engulfed: How Saudi Arabia bought sport, and the world' and your questions answered.
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Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Jack Grealish has gone from eye-catching showman and heartthrob to miserable bench warmer – and I know who's to blame
WHAT has Pep Guardiola ever done for Jack Grealish? Aside from helping him earn three Premier League titles, a Champions League, an FA Cup, a Club World Cup and more than £60million in wages? 6 Jack Grealish helped Manchester City triumph in the Champions League in 2023 - but all has gone wrong ever since Credit: Getty 6 Pep Guardiola's playing style has left Jack out in the cold Credit: AFP 6 Party boy Jack downs a beer on the parade to celebrate City's League title win last season Credit: Alamy Well, the Manchester City manager has also shackled one of English football's greatest showmen and sucked the joy out of its most likeable bloke, reducing an effervescent eye-catcher to a miserable bench-warmer. Grealish at his best, before his £100million move from Aston Villa to Manchester City in 2021, was an old-school flair player and a darling of the terraces for his dribbling ability, as well as being a style icon and heart-throb. Now his four-year spell at the Etihad is coming to an end, with Grealish axed from City's 27-man squad for the Club World Cup which starts in the US this weekend. Grealish is looking for a new club this summer, while City have already signed eight players for a total of £282MILLION in 2025. And it is a wonder why City boss Guardiola ever agreed to lavishing what was then a British record transfer fee on a player who was never likely to fit in. Guardiola is a tactical genius but he likes his players to be as obsessive about football as he is. He demands workaholics. And while Grealish is not a playboy waster, he lives by the old adage 'all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy'. City have usually played in a delicious eye-candy style under Pep, but his philosophy is all about teamwork, about pass-and-move, rather than the type of individual flair for which Grealish was renowned. Topless in the rain It is a testimony to Grealish's lovable personality that when Scotland's Stephen O'Donnell successfully marked him during a 0-0 draw with England at Wembley in the Euros of 2021, he killed him with kindness rather than kicking or insulting the Three Lions man. Jack Grealish racked up £10k bar bill partying with pals in the wake Man City's 5-2 win over Crystal Palace - despite playing 3 minutes O'Donnell had taken advice from teammate John McGinn — a Villa colleague of Grealish — on how best to keep him quiet. 'John had given me some tips,' revealed O'Donnell. 'He told me that if Jack comes on I need to get nibbling in his ear but don't be critical, be complimentary. 'So the second he came on I was telling him how good-looking he was, that I loved his calves, and I was asking him how he got his hair to look like that. 'I was told if I kick him or get him really hard, he gets back up and at you.' That was during Gareth Southgate's reign as England manager, when his reluctance to select Grealish in his starting line-up became a lightning rod. It was seen as proof that the most successful Three Lions boss of the past 60 years was a negative, cautious stick-in-the-mud — the majority of Grealish's 39 caps having come as a substitute. I love Jack. I love everything about him. I love his personality, I love his quality. The guy has courage. Thomas Tuchel, England manager Terrace songs imploring Southgate to bring on 'Super Jackie Grealish' were the soundtrack to many an England match — yet Southgate surprisingly omitted him from his squad for last summer's Euros. Southgate believed, correctly, that Grealish is a player who thrives on being the main man in any team — a playmaker, who demands a lot of the ball, a risk-taker at his best when he can showcase his devilment. That was never going to be the case with England, who are blessed with so much talent in wide and attacking midfield positions — nor at Guardiola's City. England's new manager Thomas Tuchel has said: 'I love Jack. 'I love everything about him. 'I love his personality, I love his quality. 'The guy has courage.' And yet Tuchel hasn't picked Grealish in either of the two squads he has named because of his severe lack of game time at City. Last season, Grealish started just seven Premier League games — and only one after Tuchel started the England job in January. He managed just one goal and one assist in the entire league campaign. Grealish has told Tuchel he is 'not a stop-start player', that he craves rhythm — and Guardiola simply hasn't allowed that to happen during the past two seasons. In January, Guardiola said he wanted to see 'the Jack Grealish that won the Treble'. Grealish played a major role when City swept the board by winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in 2023 — even though his wings had been clipped with less emphasis on dribbling and taking on opponents. But since the iconic image of the boozed-up Brummie standing topless in the piddling rain during City's celebratory bus parade two years ago, Grealish's fortunes have plummeted. Seasons of torment He turns 30 in December but retains his boyish looks and a child-like love of life. His interviews, while on England duty, are great theatre — he is funny, engaging and honest. But despite his charismatic nature, there is also a vulnerability. During one interview, when Grealish's lifestyle had been under the spotlight, the player told the assembled media: 'I just want youse all to like me.' In truth, it is difficult to spend any time in Grealish's company and not like him. Having been assaulted on the pitch by a Birmingham City fan — who was jailed for the incident — during a derby match against Villa, Grealish would have more reason than most to keep his distance from supporters. Yet in an era of roped-off, VIP, multi-millionaire footballers, he is one of the most accessible of big-name players. His down-to-earth qualities were recently displayed when he visited a social club in Wearside in March and stuck £500 behind the bar for fellow drinkers. Whoever does sign Grealish will be recruiting a gem of a player, desperate to express himself after two seasons of torment under Guardiola. Grealish is not a one-dimensional character. He's Jack the Lad and he's Gentleman Jack, too. He is a keen amateur DJ and a Gucci model — which is one of several lucrative commercial deals, ranging from Bose audio equipment to Hellmann's mayonnaise. And he is also an ambassador for Special Olympics GB. His sister Hollie has cerebral palsy and he frequently interacts with disabled people in person and with video messages. His partner Sasha Attwood is a model — like many a Premier League Wag — but the couple are childhood sweethearts who met at school in Solihull. Their first child, Mila, was born in September. Indeed, over the past year or two you would have been more likely to hear about Grealish carrying out a commercial or charitable appearance than playing a game of football. Hopefully that will change this summer. Despite Grealish having two years left on his City contract, Guardiola is happy for him to leave, either on a permanent deal for around £30million to £40million, or on a loan. Everton, who are moving into a swish new stadium next season, are among the leaders in the race to sign him, along with German club Bayer Leverkusen — managed by former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag. Whoever does sign Grealish will be recruiting a gem of a player, desperate to express himself after two seasons of torment under Guardiola. Any lover of football — any lover of life — will enjoy seeing him play with a smile on his face again. 6 Jack is held up and steadied by teammate Kyle Walker in Ibiza, after a three-day bender Credit: Splash 6 Jack's partner, Sasha Attwood, is a model — like many a Premier League Wag — but the couple are childhood sweethearts who met at school in Solihull Credit: Refer to Caption 6 Jack and Sasha welcomed their first child, Mila, in September Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
Daily Record
6 hours ago
- Daily Record
Odsonne Edouard to Celtic transfer return given thumbs up but one major stumbling block cited
French Eddy has been deemed surplus to requirements at FA Cup-winning Crystal Palace Scott Allan insists Celtic shouldn't think twice if an opportunity arises to re-sign Odsonne Edouard. Brendan Rodgers has already brought returning heroes Kieran Tierney and Jota back to Parkhead after stints elsewhere. Edouard, 27, flopped on loan at Leicester City and has no future at Crystal Palace as he enters the final year of his deal. The former PSG striker - who swapped Celtic Park for Selhurst Park in a £14million transfer four years ago - was prolific in Glasgow. Rodgers even labelled the Frenchman as one of the best young players he had worked with after shelling out a then-club record £9m to turn his season-long loan into a permanent deal in 2018. And when asked if he should be on Celtic's radar this summer, Allan told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard: "I would, yeah. Fantastic player. It's obviously a position that Celtic will be looking to add to. "I think we might see Daizen Maeda go back out to that wide area, where he was so effective in terms of his pressing and getting up and down the pitch. "He'll be looking to add to his goal tally come next season. I think there's no question that it's an area of the park where Celtic need to strengthen." A potential stumbling block could be Edouard's lucrative salary at the Eagles, something Allan believes could be a deal breaker. The ex-Hoops midfielder said: "I think the problem with the boys that are playing in the Premier League is that there's now the chance to go to the Saudi League where they can earn ridiculous amounts of money. "The Kieran Tierney one is completely different because he's a huge Celtic fan and he's been dying to get back home and probably feels like he's got unfinished business at Celtic. "So it'll be interesting but I do feel that Celtic will be looking to find the next Odsonne Edouard where they can get a tune from them and then make money from them." Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp, where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Reuters
8 hours ago
- Reuters
How crucial is immigration for the US hotel industry?
NEW YORK, June 13 (Reuters) - A U.S. crackdown on foreign-born workers could spell trouble for the hotel and hospitality industry, which has lobbied for years to expand the pathways for immigration to the United States to help fill over 1 million job vacancies. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would issue an immigration order soon, following a social media post in which he cited labor issues in the farm and hotel industries stemming from his immigration crackdown. But on Friday, the Washington Post reported that no such policy changes were under way, according to three people with knowledge of the administration's immigration policies. In 2024, travel supported the jobs of 15 million U.S. workers and directly employed 8 million, with approximately one-third of those workers immigrants, according to the U.S. Travel Association and American Hotel and Lodging Association. There are about 1 million job openings in 2025. Hotels and resorts have struggled to find enough Americans willing to work hospitality jobs, including seasonal or temporary jobs at ski resorts and amusement parks. The leisure and hospitality industries have quit rates higher than all other industries. The accommodation and food services subsector has experienced a quit rate consistently around or above 4% since July 2022, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. About 71% of the hotels that had job openings were unable to fill them despite active searches, according to a 2024 survey conducted by AHLA and Hireology, an employee management platform. U.S. Travel and AHLA have lobbied Congress for broader pathways for legal immigration in an effort to close these gaps. The industry's priority was to push for expanding the H-2B visa program, which was capped at 66,000 visas a year, to bring more seasonal workers to the United States. In March 2024, then-President Joe Biden signed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, which authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to increase the number of H-2B temporary nonagricultural workers if the agency determines there are not enough American workers "willing, qualified, and able to perform temporary nonagricultural labor." DHS and the Department of Labor in December published a joint temporary final rule increasing the limit on H-2B non-immigrant visas for fiscal year 2025. The industry also supported legislation that looked to make it easier for temporary workers to return to the U.S. and allow people seeking asylum to work as soon as 30 days after applying for asylum. Industry executives, including those from Marriott (MAR.O), opens new tab and Hilton (HLT.N), opens new tab, have talked about the need for practical immigration solutions for years. "One of the most important issues in our industry for time and eternity has been workforce ... and the need for comprehensive immigration reform," Hilton Worldwide CEO Chris Nassetta said at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit in January, according to a report by Travel Weekly. Labor union Unite HERE, which represents thousands of workers in U.S. hotels, casinos, and airports, a majority of whom are immigrants, said the union will continue to fight "the increasingly arbitrary rules" about who can and cannot live and travel to the United States. The Culinary Workers Union, which represents hospitality workers in Las Vegas, rallied against escalating Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Nevada and pushed back against claims the Trump administration was only responding to people breaking the law.
