PJ Gallagher: ‘Having kids is pretty amazing and all, but the first time I won a motorbike race was the best day of my life'
I found out I was never going to be a professional sportsperson after I entered a boxing ring for the first time. I was 20 years old and my friend Ger took me to a boxing club. I had two fights in the same day and I was fighting two German guys.
With the first guy, I remember thinking I was Rocky Balboa. The first guy was walking backwards, I was throwing punches at him and it felt easy. I was like, 'I'm a natural born fighter'. Then the next guy got in and he hit me so hard it turned my head gear around. That was the moment I knew I could never be a proper athlete. I just remember seeing light coming through the ear hole in the head guard and hearing the referee laugh. I thought, 'This is me done, I'll probably just remain a spectator for the rest of my life,' which I have done.
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The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Huge Irish band announce TWO Christmas shows in Ireland – here's how you can nab tickets
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The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Arsenal's seven transfer options to replace crocked Kai Havertz revealed as Mikel Arteta scrambles for late deal
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And reports have indicated the Emirates outfit have a shortlist of seven players they are considering as they scramble to strike a late deal in the summer window. Morgan Rogers SunSport exclusively revealed earlier today that Arsenal were weighing up a stunning move for Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers. On Tuesday night Rogers was crowned the PFA Young Player of the Year, with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta personally congratulating him in Manchester when he received the award. The Gunners had already been monitoring the 23-year-old as someone to potentially challenge Gabriel Martinelli, though Villa are determined to keep hold of the versatile attacker. Villa have no need to shift more players in order to meet Premier League and Uefa financial rules after selling Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle for £40m and loaning Leon Bailey to Roma. 15 They value Rogers at £80million and are unlikely to entertain offers below that price, meaning Arsenal would have to make the six cap England international their most expensive signing of the summer. So who else is on the table as an alternative, as the Telegraph report Arsenal will happily seek a loan if Havertz is ruled out for months. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Julian Alvarez 15 Former Man City star Julian Alvarez is said to want out of Atletico Madrid Credit: Shutterstock Editorial One of the biggest breaking stories of the week is reports coming out of Spain that Julian Alvarez is unsettled at Atletico Madrid. It is claimed that Alvarez's camp believe they have made a mistake by signing for the Spanish club and want out due to being frustrated with his current role under Diego Simeone. 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The 6ft 4" 29-year-old matches Arsenal's favoured type of player whereby he is a physical specimen, and has an eye for goal with 24 goals for Madrid last season. 15 He is also likely to be far cheaper than most other targets - with the Norwegian being valued at £43m by his club - and have less competition in for him, with West Ham having been linked with a move. But there are also options within the Premier League to be considered. Eberechi Eze 15 Arsenal have long held interest in Eberechi Eze, who was a Gunners fan growing up Credit: Reuters Arsenal have a longstanding interest in Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, but would need to hijack an expected deal between the Eagles and North London rivals Tottenham to land the 27-year-old. Spurs and Palace have agreed a £60m deal for the attacking midfielder after a major breakthrough in talks on Tuesday. 15 SunSport understands that Spurs will pay £30m up front for Eze, with the rest made in instalments, with the initial payment helping Palace to sign a replacement for their outgoing talisman. The advantage Arsenal do have is the fact he supported them as a boy, though whether that sentimentality could come up trumps remains to be seen. Yoane Wissa 15 Arsenal could make a late swoop to hijack Newcastle's deal for Yoane Wissa Credit: Rex Elsewhere, Arsenal could condemn Newcastle to missing out on another transfer target by making a move for wantaway Brentford ace Yoane Wissa. The Magpies have made an improved offer of £40m to land the 28-year-old, who scored 19 Premier League goals last season. That being said, the Bees are thought to want between £50-£60m for Wissa. This comes after they also lost key stars Bryan Mbeumo and captain Christian Norgaard to Manchester United and Arsenal respectively earlier in the window. Nicolas Jackson 15 Nicolas Jackson has been offered to Arsenal and a host of top Prem sides Credit: Getty Luckily, Arsenal do have a pair of options who will also be far easier to attain in the form of Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku. In Jackson's case, the Blues have offered the 24-year-old to the likes of Man Utd, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Arsenal for a price of at least £60m. 15 Arsenal have already brought two players from Chelsea this summer in the form of Madueke and Kepa Arrizabalaga. Yet Jackson - who has 30 goals and 12 assists in 81 games for the Stamford Bridge outfit - could be the best of the bunch. Christopher Nkunku 15 Christopher Nkunku has been heavily linked with a Chelsea exit Credit: Getty Nkunku is out of favour under Enzo Maresca despite an impressive Club World Cup, and has been linked with a move away from England as the likes of Bayern Munich and RB Leizpig circle. Talks with Leipzig are at a crucial stage with the club themselves fuelling speculation on social media, but Chelsea would prefer a permanent sale to a loan. 15 When Chelsea previously discussed Nkunku with Leipzig, it appeared neither the player nor the club were interested in being reunited despite his previous successful spell there between 2019 and 2023. The 27-year-old has also been the subject of enquiries from clubs in England and Italy as Chelsea value the Frenchman at £43m (€50m). Internal? While Arsenal will want to make a key addition to their squad in order to help them finally land an elusive Premier League title after a wait of more than two decades, there are internal options if all else fails. Mikel Merino had a successful stint playing up front last season and could be a perfect impact sub behind Gyokeres for the upcoming campaign, though that would then mean Arsenal are short on midfielders. Arsenal's transfer deals IN Viktor Gyökeres - from Sporting Lisbon - £72m Noni Madueke - from Chelsea - £52m Martin Zubimendi - from Real Sociedad - £51m Christian Norgaard - from Brentford - £15m Cristhian Mosquera - from Valencia - £13m Kepa Arrizabalaga - from Chelsea - £5m TOTAL - £208m OUT Nuno Taveres - to Lazio - £4.4m Marquinhos - to Cruzeiro - £2.6m Jorginho - to Flamengo - free Kieran Tierney - to Celtic - free Takehiro Tomiyasu - released Thomas Partey - released TOTAL - £7m ARSENAL TRANSFER NEWS LIVE 15 TRANSFER NEWS LIVE - KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW
Irish Independent
8 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Kai Havertz injury forces Arsenal to focus on new striker as transfer window nears close
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