Manchester City signs Ait-Nouri from Wolves on five-year deal
Algeria defender Rayan Ait-Nouri has joined Manchester City from Wolverhampton Wanderers on a five-year deal ahead of this month's FIFA Club World Cup, City announced on Monday.
Financial details were not disclosed, but British media reported City paid a fee of around 33.7 million pounds ($45.69 million) to sign the 24-year-old, who had one year left on his Wolves contract.
Ait-Nouri initially joined Wolves on loan from Ligue 1 side Angers in 2020, before making the move permanent the following year. He leaves Wolves after five seasons, having made 157 appearances with 12 goals and 19 assists.
ALSO READ | Inter Milan hires Chivu as new coach ahead of Club World Cup
Wolves is now without two of its key players from last season, after Brazil forward Matheus Cunha's transfer to Manchester United on June 1.
City finished third in the 2024-25 Premier League season and only secured a Champions League berth on the final day of the campaign.
Pep Guardiola's side is next in action at the Club World Cup in the United States. It faces Wydad AC in its opening game on June 18, before taking on Al-Ain and Juventus in its other Group G fixtures.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Soccer-European game generated 38 bln euros in 2023-24 season, study shows
June 11 - Europe's soccer market grew by 8% in terms of revenue in the 2023-24 season to 38 billion euros with England's Premier League generating the most, Deloitte said in a study published on Wednesday. In its Annual Review of Football Finance, Deloitte said the top five leagues Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Serie A and Ligue 1 generated 20.4 billion euros in revenue, an increase of 4%. Premier League clubs had the highest revenue of Europe's top leagues at 6.3 billion pounds . However, the traditional 'big six' clubs in England's top flight reported lower average revenue growth than other clubs that were in the Premier League in both the 2023-24 and 2022-23 seasons . The study said the growth was largely driven by expansion of clubs' commercial offerings, which also led to the teams cumulatively generating more than two billion pounds in commercial revenue for the first time. "A focus on stadia development and diversification of commercial revenues led to growth across the European football market in the 2023-24 season," Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte's Sports Business Group, said. "However, clubs and leagues cannot afford to take their eye off the ball as new challenges, including an evolving regulatory landscape and changing fan behaviours, arise. "The pressure is mounting for more clubs to drive additional revenue at the same time as managing rising costs. "More so than ever, leaders and owners must recognise the great responsibility they have of managing these businesses, capturing the historic essence of a football club while honouring its unrivalled role as a community asset for generations to come." Clubs in Europe's 'big five' leagues reported an aggregate operating profit for a second successive season, while the aggregate wages/revenue ratio fell from 66% to 64%. WSL REVENUE SOARS Clubs in England's Women's Super League jointly generated revenue of 65 million pounds in the 2023-24 season, a 34% rise. Each WSL club had a double-digit increase in revenue, while all 12 clubs reported over one million pounds in revenue for the first time, with an average revenue of 5.4 million pounds. "Through developing more robust fan engagement strategies, strong commercial deals and securing central distributions, WSL clubs unlocked a new phase of growth," Deloitte Sports Business group's knowledge and insights lead Jennifer Haskel said. "Plus, as the reporting and attribution of commercial revenue remains inconsistent between clubs, we may be scratching the surface on the value now being generated by the women's game."


Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Premier League 'under strain' despite record £6.3 bn revenues
The combined revenue of Premier League clubs rose to a record £6.3 billion in the 2023/24 season, but fan unrest and worsening competitive balance are cause for concern, according to financial experts Deloitte. The rise in income for England's 20 top-flight clubs was fuelled by commercial income surpassing £2 billion for the first time and a rise in matchday revenue beyond £900 million. English clubs continue to enjoy a huge financial advantage over their European rivals. Spain's La Liga, the second highest revenue-generating league, earned just over half that amount at 3.8 billion euros, almost 50 percent of which came from Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, fan protests have become a common sight at Premier League stadiums over rising ticket prices and the squeezing out of local supporters to make way for more tourists willing to spend more for a special matchday experience. "There can be no doubt that the system in English football is under strain," said Tim Bridge, the lead partner in the Deloitte Sports Business Group. "Repeated reports of fan unrest at ticket price and accessibility demonstrate the challenge in the modern era of balancing commercial growth with the historic essence of a football club's role and position in society: as a community asset." There is also uncertainty over the implications of an incoming independent regulator for England's top five leagues. And for the past two seasons, all three promoted clubs from the Championship have been immediately relegated back to the second tier. "The financial implications of the 'yo-yo effect' on clubs, their spending, and overall competitiveness are major factors to address in order to continue attracting high levels of investment across the system," added Bridge in Deloitte's Annual Review of Football Finance. Total revenue of European clubs rose by eight percent in the 2023/24 campaign to 38 billion euros, boosted by increased commercial revenue and stadium developments. The women's game also continues to grow commercially, particularly in England's Women's Super League . Collective revenues in the WSL rose 34 percent to £65 million in 2023/24 and are projected to reach £100 million in the upcoming season. kca/nf


Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Soccer-Auckland coach readies part-time squad for Club World Cup's 'toughest group'
June 11 - Auckland City's players aren't full-time professionals and many have taken annual leave to compete in the Club World Cup where they face what coach Paul Posa calls "the toughest group". New Zealand's champions, who are fresh from winning the OFC Champions League, will face Bayern Munich, Benfica and Boca Juniors in Group C of the revamped tournament, which starts on Saturday, and Posa acknowledged their uphill battle. "It's quite possibly the toughest group we could have drawn," Posa, who guided them to fifth place in the old Club World Cup in 2009, told Reuters. "We have two traditional European powerhouses in Bayern Munich and Benfica and Boca Juniors, who are also capable of going all the way." "We have competed in many of the previous versions of the CWC competition which has given us a broad range of experience allowing us to punch above our weight in the past. Our goals are to be prepared, and compete, to the best of our ability," he added. Auckland enter the 32-team tournament months after claiming their 13th Oceania title and fourth in succession. Yet despite continental success, football remains a part-time commitment for the squad. "All of the players have other jobs alongside their football commitments," said Posa. "However, they have an extraordinary dedication to their football outside of their working hours. "Players have had to take annual leave from their jobs... Indeed some of the players were unable to take time to attend both the OFC Champions League competition and the Club World Cup." The mid-June to mid-July tournament timing means it falls during Auckland's season rather than after it, as the previous version of the competition did. "The challenge of having the CWC fall in the middle of the season has been ensuring that players are in top form at the right times - however I believe we're on track to achieve this," said Posa. Serving as caretaker coach for Albert Riera, who's away for family reasons, Posa previously managed Auckland from 2008-2010. During the 2009 Club World Cup, they defeated UAE's Shabab Al Ahli and DR Congo's TP Mazembe to finish fifth. The 63-year-old acknowledged how difficult it would be to repeat his 2009 success: "It's nice to dream we could be that competitive again - however, we're realistic about the challenge." While temporary, Posa has maintained Auckland's established playing style. "It has not been difficult to maintain a playing philosophy that has evolved at Auckland City over many years. Of course, every coach puts their own fingerprint on a team," he said. This stability underpins Auckland's continued success. "This comes down to building on experience gained in previous competitions and a consistent focus on being well organised and prepared, both on and off the pitch," Posa said. "The culture surrounding the team is such that they always want to win and motivating them is no problem at all."