logo
Salah among nominees for PFA Player of the Year award

Salah among nominees for PFA Player of the Year award

Yahoo4 hours ago

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was among six players nominated for the Professional Footballers' Association Men's Player of the Year award on Friday.
The 33-year-old played a key role in Liverpool's Premier League title triumph last season with 29 goals and 18 assists.
Advertisement
The Egypt star was voted Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers' Association -- securing almost 90 percent of the votes, marking the biggest winning margin this century -- and is the firm favourite to land the PFA prize.
Salah is joined on the shortlist by Liverpool team-mate Alexis Mac Allister, Arsenal's Declan Rice, Cole Palmer of Chelsea, Newcastle striker Alexander Isak and Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
Palmer, who won the PFA Young Player of the Year award for 2023-24, was a surprise choice for the list given his struggles for Chelsea last season.
Rice starred in midfield for Arsenal, hitting a career-high nine goals while adding 10 assists in 52 appearances in all competitions.
Advertisement
Sweden striker Isak scored 23 goals for Newcastle as they qualified for the Champions League and ended a 56-year trophy drought by winning the League Cup.
Fernandes was one of United's few bright spots in the club's worst top-flight campaign since 1973-74, with eight league goals and 10 assists.
This year's awards ceremony will be held in Manchester on August 19.
smg

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

FC Barcelona Ace Leaves Club On Three-Year Deal
FC Barcelona Ace Leaves Club On Three-Year Deal

Forbes

time16 minutes ago

  • Forbes

FC Barcelona Ace Leaves Club On Three-Year Deal

An FC Barcelona star has agreed to leave the club on a three-year contract with a Spanish rival ... More according to SPORT, which cited anonymous sources. An FC Barcelona star has agreed to leave the club on a three-year contract with a Spanish rival as first reported by SPORT, which cited anonymous sources, but then confirmed by the club on Friday afternoon. As his fall from grace continues, Ansu Fati was expected to be the first big departure out of the club. The Lamine Yamal of his era who smashed a number of youngest goalscorer and appearance maker records at club and international level at the turn of the decade was handed Lionel Messi's number 10 shirt when the Argentine fled for Paris Saint-Germain, such were the great expectations made of him. With injuries complicating his trajectory, however, Fati was sent out on loan to Brighton in the Premier League in 2023/2024 where he failed to impress overall. Things weren't much better last term under Hansi Flick either. On his return to the club, Fati was unable to convince the German of his worth in a treble-winning season and is being strongly linked with a move to AS Monaco as Barca closes in on Nico Williams for their shared left wing position. Yet while that potential operation looks to have stalled, Barca has seen another La Masia-produced talent leave its ranks. As reported on by SPORT and later confirmed by the club, Aleix Garrido is on his way out of the exit door after 13 seasons in Blaugrana - the last two of which were with the reserves who he captained in 2024/2025. Garrido will join second division Eibar on a three-year deal, and does so as one of the most promising players of the reserve outfit known as Barca Atletic, which is now overseen by the scorer of the winning goal in the 2006 Champions League final Juliano Belletti. By opting for a transfer away from Catalonia, Garrido is yet another La Masia promise that didn't see a clear path to the first team. Simultaneously, however, there are examples such as that of Marc Casado's, which speak to the value of biding one's time and waiting for the opportunity to come.

Swansea goal is to achieve 'something special'
Swansea goal is to achieve 'something special'

Yahoo

time20 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Swansea goal is to achieve 'something special'

Richard Montague (left) spoke to various managerial candidates in the spring before Swansea handed a long-term deal to Alan Sheehan (right) [Getty Images] Richard Montague declines to set any specific targets heading into his first full season as Swansea City's director of football. But four months after arriving in Wales – and having got to know his new surroundings – Montague says the ultimate goal is to achieve "something special" in the Championship. Advertisement It is seven years since Swansea's seven-year spell as a Premier League club ended in relegation under Carlos Carvalhal. Two ownership groups, numerous key decision-makers and seven managers later, Swansea are hoping Alan Sheehan will be the man who can find a path back to the Premier League. In February, when Montague first got his feet under the table just 24 hours after Luke Williams had vacated his desk down the corridor, Swansea looked far likelier to drop into League One than climb to the top flight. But a fine finish to the season offered some hope for the next campaign – and convinced Montague, along with Swansea's owners, that caretaker boss Sheehan was worthy of a three-year contract. Advertisement Montague acknowledges that after seven defeats in nine league games, the initial focus when he arrived was to "make sure we stay in the league". "Thankfully the squad were able to pick up some form, with some really good leadership from Alan which drove them forwards," he adds. "We had a great finish and I think that gives us the opportunity to look forward and say OK, can we build on that now? "Can we use some of those templates and that formula, try to take them into next season, attack next season and give ourselves an opportunity to do something?" A familiar pattern - but can Sheehan's Swans buck the trend? Swansea lost only three of their final 13 games of last season [Huw Evans Agency] For a while under Williams, Swansea had looked capable – despite some deficiencies in their squad - of making a play-off push. Advertisement But top-six hopes disappeared during an alarming run of results and performances which cost Williams his job. After the unexpected slump came what seemed an unlikely upturn in fortunes, with Sheehan's rejuvenated side taking 24 points from the final 13 games of the season to secure an 11th-place finish. There were various encouraging signs, but then it should be noted Swansea have been here before in recent years. Williams' Swansea side had finished the 2023-24 campaign with something of a flourish to put to bed any relegation concerns, prompting some optimism about what the next campaign might bring. Advertisement Twelve months earlier, Russell Martin's team ended 2022-23 like a train after a mid-season slump which had seen some fans call for his head. Good finishes after difficult spells have been a pattern at Swansea. So what chance Sheehan's team can deliver on a more consistent basis in 2025-26? "I think you have to go into every season thinking how can we be the best possible version of what we can be?" Montague says. "We have had an awful lot of conversations about that, so we are in a good place to understand what we need to improve. "Obviously the league is no easier. Maybe it's even harder this year with the teams coming up and some of the teams coming down from the Premier League. Advertisement "But I would hope that we can have a stronger finish than last season and I would hope that year on year, we can demonstrate improvement that gives us an opportunity to be in with a puncher's chance of doing something special." Swansea look to have pulled off something of a coup by signing Ipswich Town's out-of-contract defender Cameron Burgess [Getty Images] Swansea's springtime surge under Sheehan meant they finished three places higher in the table than they had in 2024. In 2023 they ended up 10th, while in 2022 they were 15th. Not since Steve Cooper's two campaigns at the helm, 2019-20 and 2020-21, have Swansea made a genuine push for a Premier League return. With many bigger budgets elsewhere in the second tier, Swansea will not be one of the fancied clubs heading into 2025-26. Advertisement Last season's league position was a laudable effort and any improvement on that next May will mean Sheehan has had a good first full year at the helm. As ever, transfer work will be central to Swansea's prospects and, so far this summer, there have been promising signs. After various struggles in recent windows, Swansea have secured deals for winger Zeidane Inoussa, defenders Cameron Burgess and Ricardo Santos and striker Bobby Wales, while Melker Widell will arrive for pre-season thanks to a deal agreed in January. There are still vacancies to fill after a number of departures, but Montague says Swansea's early transfer work has brought a "feeling of momentum". Advertisement "I have always felt that if you get the majority of what you want done by the start of pre-season, you then have that six-week period to bed in and build a unit together," he adds. "But that's also with the awareness that you get opportunities later on that might not have been available in June, so there's always that balance." 'Luka believes in this project, so you should too' Swansea announced in April that Luka Modric had acquired a minority stake in the club [Getty Images] Montague left Notts County, of League Two, to try his hand in the Championship with Swansea. The thinking was that he would be reunited with Williams, who he had worked with successfully at Meadow Lane. Advertisement As it turned out, Williams' exit meant Montague was handed the task of leading a managerial search from the moment he arrived. Ultimately, Swansea's upturn meant the search led back to Sheehan – and allowed Montague to switch his focus to player recruitment. He says that during the many transfer-related conversations which have taken place, it has been clear the Swansea name carries weight. "You speak to players and agents from all across Europe and they all know Swansea City," he says. "They all associate Swansea with being a place where you'd want to play football. The pull that Swansea still has is incredibly powerful." Advertisement The fact that Luka Modric is now associated with the club, having become a co-owner in April, has not done any harm either. "I think the Championship is so incredibly demanding - the financial realities are such that you need something a bit different," Montague says. "I think that comes down to how you want to play, how you want to recruit players and how you want to operate, but also how you want to run your business side and how you bring extra eyeballs on to your product. "Luka Modric's name resonates with people the world over. He is a superstar, so that's really powerful to be able to say 'look, Luka believes in this project, so you should as well'."

From £11m to £100m - how has Liverpool's record spending changed?
From £11m to £100m - how has Liverpool's record spending changed?

Yahoo

time20 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

From £11m to £100m - how has Liverpool's record spending changed?

They say you get what you pay for - and Liverpool will be hoping that rings true in the case of Florian Wirtz. It is understood the initial fee for the 22-year-old will be a £100m, and with that Wirtz becomes the Reds' club record signing. Advertisement It is a badge that has been held by club captain Virgil van Dijk since he joined for £75m from Southampton in January 2018. Often praised for their shrewd business in recent years, it is not a regular occurrence for Liverpool to go out and break the bank to secure a player. With the arrival of Wirtz, since 2000 the Reds have set a new club record on seven occasions, so how has that spending evolved? Emile Heskey - £11m in 2000 The striker was the first club record signing after the turn of the century when he joined from Leicester for £11m - the third most expensive player in English football at the time. Advertisement It was a long-standing pursuit of Heskey for Liverpool but it proved worth it with the England international scoring 60 goals in 223 appearances and securing five medals before leaving for Birmingham City in 2004. Djibril Cisse - £14m in 2004 Four years after the signing of Heskey, the Reds broke their club record by £3m to bring in another forward in Cisse from French side Auxerre. The then 22-year-old suffered serious bad luck with injuries during his time at Anfield. However, he did still feature 79 times in two years and scored 24 goals. He also scored a crucial penalty in Liverpool's Champions League final shootout with AC Milan in 2005. Advertisement Fernando Torres - £20m in 2007 In a running theme, it was another striker three years later that would increase the club's record signing by £6m with the arrival of Torres from Atletico Madrid. The Spaniard became adored by Reds during his time on Merseyside, before an acrimonious £50m exit to Premier League rivals Chelsea in January 2011. In his four years, he played 142 times and scored an impressive 81 goals. Andy Carroll - £35m in 2011 Once again, the Reds brought in a number nine and broke the club record by £15m when signing Andy Carroll from Newcastle following the exit of Torres. Despite signing a five-and-a-half-year deal, it was a somewhat ill-fated time at Anfield for Carroll. He made just 58 appearances and netted 11 goals before making a loan move in 2012 and then permanent switch to West Ham in 2013. Advertisement Naby Keita - £48m in 2017 It would be six years before Liverpool would break their record again, this time spending £48m (plus a reported undisclosed premium) to secure the signature of Keita from RB Leipzig - a year before he would officially arrive in 2018. There were big expectations on the midfielder, but injuries hampered his time with the Reds - 129 appearances across five years - but he still came away with multiple winners' medals. Virgil van Dijk - £75m in 2018 It was a big-spending 12 months for Liverpool when they smashed their club record by £27m with the signing of Van Dijk from Southampton a year after Keita. Advertisement It was also a then world record fee for a defender and former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer said at the time the Netherlands international was "not worth it at all". However, 319 appearances and nine pieces of silverware later, it is safe to say it has been a success. Florian Wirtz - £100m in 2025 It has taken seven years for the Reds to break their own record again, but they will do that with Wirtz. Now, only time will tell whether it will go down as one of the success stories or relative disappointments.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store