Linfield can retain title without star man Joel Cooper, insists Ethan McGee
Linfield ace Ethan McGee has shared his joy after clinching his first League winner's medal and he's backing the Blues to remain a title-winning force without the swashbuckling Joel Cooper next season.
McGee helped the Blues wrap up the title with six games remaining to smash Larne's stranglehold on the Gibson Cup.
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Metro
2 hours ago
- Metro
Chelsea warn AC Milan over Mike Maignan deal as transfer talks drag on
Chelsea will not revisit a deal for AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan if the move is not completed before Tuesday's transfer deadline. The Blues have been in negotiations with the Serie A giants for the French stopper as they haggle over a transfer fee. An opening offer of €15million (£12.6m) was rejected by Milan and it is believed that a deal could be struck for just €18m (£15m), meeting in the middle as the Italians value him at €25m (£21m). In the grand scheme of football transfer fees it seems like a tiny hurdle to overcome, but a deal is proving more difficult than you might think. Sky Sports report that negotiations have been continuing throughout Monday and an agreement has not been reached. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. The report states that unless a transfer has been finalised by 7pm on Tuesday June 10 then Chelsea will walk away from a deal. Chelsea offered one of Djordje Petrovic or Kepa Arrizabalaga to Milan in a proposed swap deal for Maignan, but the Rossoneri have no interest in either goalkeeper, favouring a cash-only agreement. The 32-cap France international is out of contract at the San Siro in 2026 and could leave on a free transfer next summer. The transfer window closing on Tuesday evening is unusual and has been brought in to allow clubs participating in the Club World Cup to bring in players before it starts. There are now two transfer windows this summer, with the first running from June 1-10 before the Club World Cup starts on June 15. There is then a second window which runs from June 16 till September 1. The Sky Sports report states that the Maignan deal is different to the one that Chelsea are pursuing for Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens in that Tuesday's deadline is not a final one. More Trending Discussions are ongoing over a move for the English winger and the Blues are happy to revisit them after the first transfer window closes if the transfer is not done in time. Dortmund turned down an initial bid worth €35m (£29.5m) for the 20-year-old and want a significantly bigger offer, closer to €50-60m (£42-50m). Much like with Maignan, it is just the transfer fee that is the issue, with Gittens keen on the switch to west London. Personal terms have been agreed between Chelsea and the winger, but club-to-club negotiations have some way to go. MORE: Man Utd, Liverpool and Tottenham battling it out for Bournemouth standout MORE: Arsenal struggle for breakthrough in latest Benjamin Sesko talks with RB Leipzig MORE: Chelsea told to sign 'exciting' €28m Norway international star in summer window
Leader Live
7 hours ago
- Leader Live
Chester boost squad with ex-Altrincham skipper Jones
The Blues, who lost out 2-1 to Scunthorpe United in last season's play-off final, have announced the signing of James Jones from National League club Altrincham. Jones, a central defender, has penned a one-year-deal at the Deva Stadium. He becomes boss Calum McIntyre's second summer addition to the squad, following on from fellow defender Tom Leak. Jones, who was named club captain at Altrincham in 2023, made a total of 146 appearances for the Robins over two spells. In between these stints was a two-year stay at League Two Barrow. Jones, who began his career with The New Saints, told the club's website: 'I'm absolutely made up. I left Altrincham a couple of weeks ago and after looking at the clubs I could join, Chester was at the top of the list. 'In the past eight years I have played for Barrow and Altrincham, so Chester is the biggest club I have played for. 'Although I am coming down a level, I know the size of this football club. It's in a division it shouldn't be in.' Two key players have pledged their futures with the club - Dylan Mottley-Henry and Iwan Murray. Mottley-Henry, 27, joined the club back in October, before then having a spell in the New Year on a dual registration basis at FC United of Manchester. The forward scored three goals and contributed two assists in just eight starts for the Blues last season, with his most memorable moment seeing him bag the equaliser in the 2-1 play-off semi-final victory at Kidderminster. He said: 'I'm really happy to be staying at Chester for another season. 'It's a club that I've really enjoyed my football at. The fans, the staff, and the lads in the dressing room made it an easy decision for me. 'I'm excited for what we can achieve together next season, and I can't wait to get started again and hopefully build on what we've already done. Let's finish the job and make it a big one.' Murray has penned a new one-year deal, with a further option to extend. He was an instrumental figure in the midfield last campaign, scoring four goals in his 41 appearances in all competitions, including opening the scoring against Buxton in the play-offs. Murray said: 'I am really happy to be at Chester for another season. 'I've been at the club for a while now and last season was really enjoyable to be a part of, it's a really good set of lads in the changing room and that was a big part of wanting to sign for the club again for the season ahead.' Defender Henry Briscoe has signed his first senior deal with the club. The 18-year-old from Huxley joins fellow scholar Oskar Rosenblatt in making the step-up to the first team squad.
Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I wore Chelsea's No. 9 shirt before Liam Delap – friends laughed when I got it'
Liam Delap is the latest Chelsea signing to take on the No. 9 shirt for the Blues and one former player has opened up on his strange stint with the iconic jersey while at Stamford Bridge Chelsea's new recruit Liam Delap has chosen to wear the No. 9 shirt for the Blues, however, the shirt carries a burden. The £30 million striker is the first Chelsea player to take on the iconic jersey since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left the club two years ago. The shirt has been worn by international superstars such as Gonzalo Higuain, Romelu Lukaku, Alvara Morata, Radamel Falcao and Fernando Torres, albeit with varying degrees of success at the club. Bizarrely, it was also once worn by Steve Sidwell, much to his friends' and family's amusement. Sidwell, a midfielder, made the move to Stamford Bridge from Reading in 2007. In an unexpected twist, he was given the prestigious number, which is typically reserved for strikers. While Sidwell's free transfer was seen as a smart move at the time, his being given the number nine shirt puzzled fans and pundits alike. The mystery was finally solved when Sidwell, 42, explained how he ended up with the shirt on That Peter Crouch Podcast in October 2023, reports Football London. "When you sign for a club, you always see who's leaving, what shirt numbers are available so you pick it before you kind of get there," Sidwell began. "So when I signed, Geremi left to go to Newcastle and [Khalid] Boulahrouz, who was the defender who wore number nine as well, he left." 'So we (Chelsea) signed me and Claudio Pizarro – striker, midfielder – so I thought I'll have the 14, I've worn that before, and he'll have the number nine. First day of pre-season we fly to LA (Los Angeles) we get on the coach going to the airport, as we get on Jose [Mourinho] was at the front, he pulls me and says, 'You've got the number nine shirt this season.' 'So now I'm thinking, mind games, straight away this is mind games. So I was like, 'Alright, okay, no worries,' like he's just testing me, see if I want it. Sat down and the kitman sat next to me and I was like, 'I haven't got the number nine though, have I?' And he went, 'I'll tell you later on.' 'We landed and he done the shirt and it was already printed up, so big Tel (kitman) said it was already printed up, it was already done and I'm standing there (with the No.9 shirt). My mates at home going, 'What shirt you got?' 'I've only got the f*****g nine shirt.' And they were cracking up. How can I say I don't want it?' In a 2020 interview with The Athletic, Sidwell speculated that his unexpected shirt number might have been Mourinho's subtle signal to former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich during a time when funds for new signings were low. "Obviously the number has a lot of history relating to top centre-forwards and that wasn't me. I went on to score one goal for Chelsea," Sidwell said. "Reflecting on why he might have made that decision, I believe he was sending a message to the board. That summer he had wanted more funds for transfers – but he's brought in me, Tal Ben Haim and Claudio Pizarro on free transfers. "The only significant purchase was Florent Malouda. Why didn't he give Pizarro – a striker – the No. 9? I suspect he was making a point by giving it to a free transfer from Reading." Sidwell became another victim of the number as left Chelsea in 2008 after just one season and 25 appearances to sign for Aston Villa. While there have been several successes with the shirt, including Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, even Thomas Tuchel, former Chelsea boss and current England manager, once suggested that the shirt is "cursed." Delap, who scored 12 goals in 40 matches for Ipswich last season, will now have to grapple with the hype and pressure of a jersey that has simply proved too much for some of modern football's biggest names.
