Latest news with #SkyBlues
BBC News
18 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Coventry defender Binks joins Danish club Brondby
Coventry City defender Luis Binks has signed for Danish club Brondby for an undisclosed 23-year-old centre-back joined the Sky Blues from Italian side Bologna on loan two seasons ago before making the move permanent last played 22 games in the 2024-25 season as Coventry reached the semi-finals of the Championship play-offs where they lost to Sunderland, who were later his loan with the Sky Blues, Binks made a total of 52 appearances for the club."Everyone at Coventry City wishes Luis the best of luck for the future and we thank him for his contribution during his time with us," a club statement read., external
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Guardiola gives an exclusive statement about his future with Man City!
It seems that the Spanish coach has made his final decision regarding his future in England. Getty Images Last season was very difficult for Manchester City fans inside and outside the city and even inside and outside Europe. After the team was for a long time one of the best in Europe and even the best team in England for many years, the English team, with Spanish coach Pep Guardiola, suffered from major technical stumbling that caused them to decline significantly last season and they qualified with difficulty for the Champions League next season. One last try! Although Pep Guardiola hinted last season that he might want to take a break from coaching and then consider coaching national teams, in November 2024 he agreed to renew his contract for an additional season with Manchester City, which put him under additional pressure. Now, no one really knows what his fate with the Sky Blues will be, as the Barcelona-born coach has not made any final decisions regarding his future. In one of his last statements, the Spanish coach confirmed that he was grateful for the difficult experience he had last season because it had taught him many lessons about life and his profession as well. What did Pep Guardiola say about his future with Manchester City? In a recent interview with GQ Hype Magazine, Spanish coach Pep Guardiola spoke about his future with the Sky Blues, saying: I know that after this spell with City I'm going to stop, that's for sure, it's decided, more than decided. I don't know how long I'll stop for, a year, two years, three years, five, ten, fifteen, I don't know. But I'm going to stop after this spell with City, because I need to stop and focus on myself, on my body. In Catalan, they say badar. Badar, badar, badar... I want to do this, simply stop and watch the cows go by when the train goes by. My grandfather used to say, you look at me like cows watch the train go by. Well, that's it, you have to stop and watch it go by. And then life... I had never thought that I would coach, that I would go to Germany to coach, to England, and be the coach of Barcelona, or that I would play for Barcelona.
The Australian
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Australian
Joe Lacey steals show as Sydney FC defeats Wrexham
Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac may not have been in attendance on Tuesday night, but 40,242 punters got a glimpse of a future star, as teenager Joe Lacey stole the show in the Sky Blues' 2-1 over AFC Wrexham. Lacey, 18, stunned everybody in attendance when he scored the decisive goal after curling a low shot past Wrexham keeper Callum Burton in the 74th minute of play. 'To be fair, I don't even think I really saw it,' Lacey said of his goal against the Welsh glamour club. 'I just put my hands into the air as soon as I heard the crowd. 'I've been at the club a long time and had a lot of my mates on the pitch alongside me. 'I'm very grateful for the opportunity... yeah, I'm just buzzing.' Sure, it was a pre-season friendly, but with the visitors competing in the English second tier this upcoming season, and Sydney playing the final half hour with an outfield composed entirely of academy players, the result really felt like a serious boilover. Oh, and did we mention the Sky Blues' marquee man, Douglas Costa, didn't even play? Initially, things looked to be going to script for visitors, who scored after 18 minutes when Sydney midfielder Corey Hollman helped James McClean's free kick into the home side's net. However, Alexandar Popovic struck a blow for the locals when he buried a Jordan Courtney Perkins header that had initially been parried by Danny Ward just before the break. The goal came just moments after Sydney FC was denied what appeared to be a certain penalty after a Hollman shot made contact with Lewis Brunt's arm in the 18-yard box. Probably the most surreal moment of the match occurred in the 60th minute, when both teams simultaneously made a combined 19 substitutions (10 by Wrexham and nine by Sydney). This would prove crucial, as Lacey and his merry band of youngsters out 'fairytaled' British football's fairy tale team. Rather appropriately, the winning goal was an absolute showstopper, which started deep in Sydney FC territory. Matthew Scarcella got the move started when he made a long pass to teammate Akel Akon. Thinking quickly, Akon squared the ball to Lacey, who struck it perfectly from just outside the box. Ironically, Lacey has Welsh heritage and has family living in the country. 'Before the game, I didn't know how much pull they [Wrexham] had in Australia,' he said. 'I knew they had a documentary and I've got family in Wales and they've told me about it.' Wrexham will now travel to Wellington to take on the Phoenix on Saturday, while Sydney turns its attention to its Australia Cup opener against Western United on 29 July. Football England have secured back-to-back Women's Euro titles after edging Spain in a penalty shootout thriller, with veteran defender Lucy Bronze going to extraordinary lengths all tournament. Football Lionel Messi is reportedly upset by the decision by Major League Soccer to ban him from Inter Miami's next game after he skipped the All-Star weekend at the last minute.
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
It's a long shot. But Sydney FC should be applauded for having a crack at Thomas Müller
Domestically, the Australian football economy continues to shrink. Club distributions are down from over $3 million per season to an all-time low of $530,000, and so most clubs don't even bother trying to sign big names. It's beyond them, and there is little appetite from club owners to dig their hands even further into their pockets. And when they do, they have to settle for the likes of Douglas Costa, who had already had his run through MLS by the time he washed up at the Sky Blues last season, but has proved to be a worthy signing, or Juan Mata, who was many years past his peak when Western Sydney Wanderers had the chance to grab him - as evidenced by his on-field output. Mata might yet return next season, but if he does, he'll be a luxury add-on for the Wanderers, rather than a key starting player. A-League clubs have largely pivoted towards bringing through academy players - and so they should. They've finally learned how to turn young, homegrown talent into sizeable transfer fees, and flipping kids for cash is the only way they can be sustainable in the long term. It's good for the game, too. It's a shift that is already benefiting the Socceroos and, in turn, will reinforce the A-League's legitimacy as a breeding ground and relevance for the many fans in Australia who follow European football but not the local product. The more that A-League alumni players can reach the top levels, the more it says to the unconverted that our competition is worth keeping a close eye on. But that can't be all that the A-League is, or will be. For one thing, those youngsters need to have hardened pros next to them in the dressing room to learn from. If the A-League was too reliant on experienced players in the past, it now runs the risk of going too far the other way. A careful balance has to be struck. Star power has always been the thing that moves the needle in this country, but it's never been more true than today. As mass culture continues to splinter into a million micro-niches, the need to have something - or someone - with cut-through power is critical. Müller is that sort of someone. And for every player who opts for the megabucks, there might be one per cent of them who are happy to forego those earnings for the glorious Australian lifestyle, of which the appeal to foreigners we sometimes underestimate because we're so lucky to experience it 24/7. Del Piero, don't forget, turned down more money elsewhere - and even a contract offer from Liverpool - because he was so attracted by the wonders of Sydney. Loading To ask the question of Müller is to send a message to the rest of the football world - and to sceptical local fans - that the A-League still has ambition. There's no risk in trying. In fact, the risk is not trying, and never knowing if he might have been the next Del Piero. At worst, you get a polite rejection. At best, you spark the sort of rare moment that can reignite interest in the domestic game, especially at a time when eyeballs are hard to win.
The Age
4 days ago
- Business
- The Age
It's a long shot. But Sydney FC should be applauded for having a crack at Thomas Müller
Domestically, the Australian football economy continues to shrink. Club distributions are down from over $3 million per season to an all-time low of $530,000, and so most clubs don't even bother trying to sign big names. It's beyond them, and there is little appetite from club owners to dig their hands even further into their pockets. And when they do, they have to settle for the likes of Douglas Costa, who had already had his run through MLS by the time he washed up at the Sky Blues last season, but has proved to be a worthy signing, or Juan Mata, who was many years past his peak when Western Sydney Wanderers had the chance to grab him - as evidenced by his on-field output. Mata might yet return next season, but if he does, he'll be a luxury add-on for the Wanderers, rather than a key starting player. A-League clubs have largely pivoted towards bringing through academy players - and so they should. They've finally learned how to turn young, homegrown talent into sizeable transfer fees, and flipping kids for cash is the only way they can be sustainable in the long term. It's good for the game, too. It's a shift that is already benefiting the Socceroos and, in turn, will reinforce the A-League's legitimacy as a breeding ground and relevance for the many fans in Australia who follow European football but not the local product. The more that A-League alumni players can reach the top levels, the more it says to the unconverted that our competition is worth keeping a close eye on. But that can't be all that the A-League is, or will be. For one thing, those youngsters need to have hardened pros next to them in the dressing room to learn from. If the A-League was too reliant on experienced players in the past, it now runs the risk of going too far the other way. A careful balance has to be struck. Star power has always been the thing that moves the needle in this country, but it's never been more true than today. As mass culture continues to splinter into a million micro-niches, the need to have something - or someone - with cut-through power is critical. Müller is that sort of someone. And for every player who opts for the megabucks, there might be one per cent of them who are happy to forego those earnings for the glorious Australian lifestyle, of which the appeal to foreigners we sometimes underestimate because we're so lucky to experience it 24/7. Del Piero, don't forget, turned down more money elsewhere - and even a contract offer from Liverpool - because he was so attracted by the wonders of Sydney. Loading To ask the question of Müller is to send a message to the rest of the football world - and to sceptical local fans - that the A-League still has ambition. There's no risk in trying. In fact, the risk is not trying, and never knowing if he might have been the next Del Piero. At worst, you get a polite rejection. At best, you spark the sort of rare moment that can reignite interest in the domestic game, especially at a time when eyeballs are hard to win.
