Nuno casts doubt on Forest future; Frank reacts to Eze news; transfer latest: football – live | Soccer
Nuno’s relationship with Marinakis at Forest is ‘not so good’
The Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espírito Santo has cast doubt over his future after admitting “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” amid rumours about his job.
Speculation is rife that the Portuguese’s position is under threat after his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis has deteriorated. Nuno, who was handed a new contract in June after guiding Forest into Europe last term, was seemingly accepting that his time at the club could be over after saying his connection with Marinakis has changed.
“We know each other very well, and we have all been in the industry for a while now,” he said ahead of Sunday’s Premier League game at Crystal Palace.
And where there’s smoke, there’s fire, so I know how things work, but I’m here to do my job.
I understand, because I’m worried. I’m the first one to be worried. I’m the first one to be concerned.
The cracks in the relationship started to show last week when Nuno criticised Forest’s summer transfer activity, saying the club had wasted a good chance and he was concerned for the season.
They have since spent almost £100m in bringing in James McAtee, Omari Hutchinson, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Douglas Luiz.
I always had a very good relationship with the owner, last season was very, very, very close. This season, not so well. No, it’s not (good).
I don’t know exactly, but I’m being honest with you. I cannot say that is the same, because it’s not the same. The reason behind it, I don’t know.
I always believe that dialogue and what you say or your opinion, is always valid, because my concern is the squad and the season that we have ahead of us, but our relations have changed.
I’m being honest with you, I cannot say that is the same, because it’s not the same. The reason behind it, I don’t know.
The reality is that is not what it used to be. What it used to be was a good, respectful relationship, but was more based on trust and sharing opinions, and now it’s not so good. PA Media
Key events
Tottenham Hotspurned: “If it’s any consolation to gazumped Spurs fans, former Tottenham winger Lucas Moura put a penalty past former Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina in São Paulo FC’s second-leg shootout win over Colombia’s Atletico Nacional in a Copa Libertadores Round-of-16 tie earlier this week,” writes Peter Oh, who fails to add that the hothead former Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos scored in the 90 minutes for Atletico and didn’t get himself sent off.
Fitba mailbag: “Having listened to Brendan Rodgers’ interview on Sportsound after the Kairat game, my hot take is that he and/or Russell Martin might be gone come January – Martin given the boot and Rodgers ejecting his toys from the pram again,” writes James Humphries, offering a take so cold his fingers probably froze just typing it. “He said ‘Not for me to say [about whether fans are right to be annoyed]’ and ‘there’s only so many ways to dress up ‘we need players’, which sounds to me a hell of a lot like someone preparing to pee off in high dudgeon.”
Roberto De Zerbi: “I’ve never seen anything like this [fight]”
Marseille: The French club’s head coach Roberto De Zerbi has provided some tremendously entertaining insight into the dressing-room scrap between teammates Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe which took place after Marseille’s opening day defeat at Rennes last weekend and led to both players being suspended by their employers and placed on the transfer list.
“I ask you this, what happens if, at your workplace, two people, two employees, two workers, two lawyers, get into a fight?” said De Zerbi, upon being asked why both players had been told to leave the club. “It was a bar fight, in front of the sporting director, in front of the coach, with a team-mate on the ground [Marseille midfielder Darryl Bakola got caught up in the fight and was knocked out]. It’s true that no teeth were broken during the fight, but it was a fight like I’ve never seen in all my years in football.
“For the first time in my career, I didn’t know what to say or what to do. I’ve never seen anything like it. I come from the streets, I’m used to fights, but I’ve never seen anything like this. The club’s bodyguards were trying to separate them. Normally they’re supposed to protect us from others, not from ourselves.”
It’s one to file under Scenes Nobody Wants To See (But Secretly Does).
Brendan Rodgers: “I’m here for three years”
Celtic: The Scottish champions were held to a scoreless draw by the Azerbaijan side Kairat Almaty in the first leg of their Champions League play-off on Wednesday and after the match, Brendan Rodgers sounded mightily fed up by his employers’ lack of effort in the transfer window to bring some new recruits into a Celtic side that looks light in several departments but particularly up front. For all that, his team should already have enough about it to beat opposition few in the UK had ever heard of before the draw was made.
Having had a few days to gather his thoughts ahead of tomorrow’s Scottish Premiership match against Livingston, Rodgers dismissed speculation that there is any sort of “conflict” between him and the Celtic board and insisted he will not be leaving before his contract expires at the end of the season, despite having previous for walking out of Celtic Park midway through the final year of a contract.
“Absolutely no chance,” he said. “We’ve done that before, it didn’t go down well. We had the chances over the summer [of contract talks] but I said, ‘now the season starts, I only want to think of the football’. I don’t want to think of the contract, just think of the football and that will come later on if it does. I said I’d be here for three years and I’m here for three years.”
Celtic host Livingston tomorrow before setting off on their 7,000-kilometre round-trip for the second leg against Kairat Almaty.
Everton: Speaking of the Hill Dickinson Stadium, the naming rights of Everton’s new ground have been bought by an international commercial law firm who are more than just a legal service provider. Indeed, according to their website, they’re “an extension of your team, your trusted thinking partner and a right hand you can rely on”. No, really. Sometimes the jokes write themselves.
What isn’t immediately apparent from a brief perusal of their website is any evidence whatsoever that they have a shiny new stadium in Liverpool’s Bramley Moore Dock named after them and that it will be hosting its first Premier League match this weekend. The normally unpickupable legal periodical, the Law Gazette, is intrigued by the firm’s lack of “outward promotion” of their sponsorship deal ahead of Sunday’s big game.
“Curiously, there has been an absence of much outward promotion this week ahead of the big day,” it says in an article published earlier today. “The firm’s news page has not updated anything about the Everton link since its was first announced and there had been, as of Friday morning, no mention of it on any of the firm’s social media channels.
“Far be it for us to tell the marketing bods how to do their job, but we would have thought that the naming of a Premier League football stadium and the prospect of immediately increasing your recognition by millions might be an opportunity to shout about it a little.”
Either the Hill Dickinson socials team need to get the collective finger out, or else those who sanctioned the naming rights deal are having second thoughts after witnessing Everton’s dismal performance against Leeds on Monday night.
Brighton: Yet to give his teenage big-money signing Greek signing Charalampos Kostoulas a run-out in the Premier League, Fabian Hurzeler remains hopeful that Brighton will be active during the rest of the transfer window, but is content with his forward options before Sunday’s trip to take on Everton in the first competitive match to be staged at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Kostoulas sat out last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Fulham, with Georginio Rutter being deployed up front before being replaced by Danny Welbeck. Asked if he was in regular contact with Brighton’s owner, Tony Bloom, Hurzeler said “I’m not knocking on his door otherwise I would always have to travel to London and I’m happy living here in Brighton.”
Ah yes, Fabian. Tell us you’ve endured the horrors of the Southern and Thameslink rail service between Brighton and London without telling us you’ve endured the horrors of the Southern and Thameslink rail service from Brighton to London. “There are always opportunities in football, so never say never,” added the German. “Of course with the loss of Joao [Pedro], we miss one more striker. Stefanos needs time to get up to speed, so it’s a little bit of a balance thing. You have two strikers with Danny and with Georgi, like how to finish a game, how to start a game, how to finish strong.”
Keith Andrews: Wissa “is part of the group”
Brentford: Keith Andrews could include Yoane Wissa in the Brentford squad for tomorrow’s home game against Aston Villa, despite reports the DR Congo striker has gone Full Isak and is refusing to play for his club while trying to force a move to Newcastle. Wissa did not feature in Brentford’s opening day defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest last Sunday.
“He’s been training with the team,” said Andrews. “In terms of being involved this weekend, I’ll make a decision on the squad tomorrow, but he’s part of the group this week. He’s a Brentford player right now. My stance around Yoane all along is I don’t want him to leave.
“That hasn’t really changed in any way, shape or form. I keep going back to being understanding of his situation, but for me I don’t want to lose a player of that quality. So that hasn’t really changed throughout the whole episode of the transfer window.”
That’s all from me today. Barry Glendenning is on hand to steer you through the evening news. Lucky you!
As deadline day approaches make sure you stay up to date with our transfer interactives showing all the deals and club-by-club guides.
Fulham’s summer transfer plans have ‘failed’, says Silva
Fulham have only signed player this window – Benjamin Lecomte from Montpellier – and Marco Silva was pretty blunt regarding his squad.
We had a plan and the plan until now didn’t go through, it’s as simple as that. We have to look at ourselves, it’s our fault, it’s not the fault of the market.
I cannot tell you that someone is going to arrive tomorrow or in two day’s time because I’m not sure and, to be honest, I have big doubts that it’s going to happen.
That plan failed until now, it is clear.
We need solutions in the back line, we are short in certain positions there, we need another midfielder to come in as well.
Some of our main targets are no more, we have to go in a different direction right now.
Some of your thoughts on today’s news.
Matthew:
Marinakis is an idiot if lets Nuno go. Who wouldn’t want the Holy Spirit working for him?
Krishna:
Is ill-luck or misfortune the middle name of Tottenham Hotspurs? There is a saying in India that if your luck is bad a dog will board the bus you are travelling in and bite you.
Mariam:
I’d be gutted to see Nuno go as a Forest fan. He’s been so good to us. But a part of me thinks he should not have said what he said in today’s press conference. Is that something he should have aired out to the media? If anything, it will be the nail in the coffin to sack him.
Toby:
Spurs have had such dire luck in the window. I’d really like to see us go for Tyler Dibling. Surely he’d prefer us over Everton … Right?!
West Ham have submitted a bid for Monaco’s Soungoutou Magassa and are pushing to complete a deal for the midfielder. Graham Potter is looking to make two additions in midfield and is moving ahead with his plans after an agreement was reached for Edson Álvarez to join Fenerbahçe on loan.
Potter is looking to make two additions in midfield and is moving ahead with his plans after the broad outline of an agreement was reached for Edson Álvarez to join Fenerbahçe on loan. Talks are taking place between West Ham and the Turkish club regarding the final details of a deal for the Mexico international.
Let’s turn to Wolves where Vitor Pereira is keeping tight-lipped on Jorgen Strand Larsen’s future amid interest from Newcastle:
He’s a very important player for us. I never talk with him about [transfer rumours]. He’s our player. When I watch him on the training, he’s committed with everybody, committed with the team. He’s a fighter. He likes to win. He’s preparing himself to play tomorrow.
The market is the market. If the window is open, the players can come and the players can leave. I believe this is possible.
The reports from earlier about Nuno’s possible sacking seemingly came from nowhere despite the manager publicly saying he was worried about the team’s transfer activity in the window. However, his “when there’s smoke, there’s fire” claims are quite damning.
Forest have brought in eight senior players this window: Igor Jesus, Jair Cunha, Dan Ndoye, Angus Gunn, Omari Hutchinson, James McAtee, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Douglas Luiz (on loan). The club have also managed to keep hold of Morgan Gibbs-White despite interest from other Premier League sides.
Feel free to use the email at the top of the page to let me know your thoughts on the possibility of Forest letting Nuno go.
Nuno’s relationship with Marinakis at Forest is ‘not so good’
The Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espírito Santo has cast doubt over his future after admitting “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” amid rumours about his job.
Speculation is rife that the Portuguese’s position is under threat after his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis has deteriorated. Nuno, who was handed a new contract in June after guiding Forest into Europe last term, was seemingly accepting that his time at the club could be over after saying his connection with Marinakis has changed.
“We know each other very well, and we have all been in the industry for a while now,” he said ahead of Sunday’s Premier League game at Crystal Palace.
And where there’s smoke, there’s fire, so I know how things work, but I’m here to do my job.
I understand, because I’m worried. I’m the first one to be worried. I’m the first one to be concerned.
The cracks in the relationship started to show last week when Nuno criticised Forest’s summer transfer activity, saying the club had wasted a good chance and he was concerned for the season.
They have since spent almost £100m in bringing in James McAtee, Omari Hutchinson, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Douglas Luiz.
I always had a very good relationship with the owner, last season was very, very, very close. This season, not so well. No, it’s not (good).
I don’t know exactly, but I’m being honest with you. I cannot say that is the same, because it’s not the same. The reason behind it, I don’t know.
I always believe that dialogue and what you say or your opinion, is always valid, because my concern is the squad and the season that we have ahead of us, but our relations have changed.
I’m being honest with you, I cannot say that is the same, because it’s not the same. The reason behind it, I don’t know.
The reality is that is not what it used to be. What it used to be was a good, respectful relationship, but was more based on trust and sharing opinions, and now it’s not so good. PA Media
Lots to unpack from that Spurs press conference. Frank says he is confident the team will sign an attacker but where do they turn to at this point?
There has been murmurings of interest in Tyler Dibling, but Everton are also looking to get that over the line. Maghnes Akliouche? West Ham seem all over that. Bilal El Khannouss? Someone unproven in the top five leagues? So much to ponder over.
Get in touch via email at the top of this blog and let me know where you think Spurs can go from here.
Richarlison is wanted at Spurs and the side hope to keep him, says Frank, amid rumours the forward is keen for a move away:
Right now, Richarlison is my starting No 9. He scored two fantastic goals, had two fantastic games and is the Brazil No 9.
He’s a fantastic player, he wants to stay, I want to keep him and there’s been no talks about anything else.
More from Frank on Spurs incomings before the window closes:
I don’t care who a player is or who they support, we all have a past. If they want to come, they want to come. Whether they’re from Spain, Denmark, Brazil – perfect.
Unfortunately we can’t go in Waitrose for five minutes and buy two very good players. It’s a bit more complicated than that.
I see the club is working hard, Daniel, Vinay and Johan – we’re all on board in terms of seeing how we can improve.
We have six very good front players who will be very competitive across all the competitions – and Kulusevski will come back this season, it’s probably longer-term with Maddison unfortunately.
I’m confident though that we will sign another player before the end of the window. I’m a positive guy, I’m not that fearful. I believe something will happen.
Spurs do not want players ‘who don’t want to be here’, says Frank
David Hytner
Naturally Thomas Frank is immediately asked about Eberechi Eze and he makes his stance clear quite quickly.
In general, of course, I don’t speak about specific players unless they are at our fantastic club.
That’s one thing, but secondly there’s been a lot of rumours – and a lot of times where there’s nothing in it. There must be someone out there who thinks it’s good fun to put the rumours out there.
There’s been a lot of links and will continue to be. To be very general, I don’t want any players who don’t want to come to the club.
If they don’t want to come here and wear this fantastic badge, we don’t want them here. That’s very clear, and I imagine the fans feel exactly the same.
That’s a key message.
It’s important to say that Thomas Frank was not talking specifically about Eberechi Eze. In fact, the Tottenham manager seemed reluctant to mention the player he has just missed out on by name at his press conference. But this morsel from him was probably the top line. And, well, Frank surely had Eze in mind.
Will Eze be announced within the next couple of hours? Or will the game of hot potato continue? Let’s see. First let’s go to Spurs and see Thomas Frank’s reaction to missing out on the forward.
Right, it’s time for me to hand back to Yara. The Eze announcement live grenade is passed on once more. Phew.
Some further fitness updates from Arteta: Christian Nørgaard will not be available to face Leeds, while Ben White is a doubt. Asked about Jurriën Timber, who has been recovering after undergoing ankle surgery at the end of last season, he adds: “With Jurriën, we have to manage his load because he has been out for a long time again. We have to manage his load and have decided to take his training down.”
There is more positive news on Gabriel Jesus, who has been out since sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January. “Gabriel is doing super well. He looks in a really good place. Obviously it is a massive injury and he needs to come back in a really strong way, but he is certainly in the right place.”
Amorim admits wantaway players ‘not a good thing’
Will Unwin
Ruben Amorim says it is “not a good thing” to have four first-team players training away from their colleagues. Jadon Sancho, Tyrell Malacia, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho are all working separately from the group while they seek moves away from Old Trafford.
None of the four were included in the squad for United’s pre-season tour and they did not feature in the opening-day defeat to Arsenal. United will ideally seal exits, whether permanent or temporary, for the quartet before the window closes, potentially allowing them to reinvest in new signings.
“I know that is not a good thing to have players in this situation, but it’s clear they want to play in a different club,” Amorim said.
“So we try to arrange everything for both parties to be happy, so I have to try to imagine to have the training with the guys that I think are going to be the future and the other guys are training and preparing for the next chapter. When the window is closed, it’s a different history, when the window is closed, we have to receive the players and in a new life, anything can happen.”
The assembled press takes a different tack, asking Arteta general questions about transfers which – surprise, surprise – are really about Eze. Asked how important it is for a player to really want to come to Arsenal, Arteta says: “That’s the number one, that they want to be with us and feel something special to come to us. Then the person, what personality we are going to bring, and then the rest comes. I think we have done very well in the last few years to create this spirit in the team.”
Eze, a boyhood Arsenal fan who played in the academy until his release aged 13, fits the bill nicely, then. Asked whether it might be desirable to sign a player who grew up supporting Arsenal, Arteta says: “The better the feeling, the stronger the feeling then the better always because it brings a different edge, will and emotion to what you do and I think that always brings something extra.”
Arteta stays similarly circumspect when asked about the injury to Kai Havertz which expedited Arsenal’s pursuit of Eze. “We don’t really know the extent of it. We need a bit more time and some more tests and after that we will have some more clarity.
“I prefer not to talk about the specifics, but he is not fit. We need to explore this situation a bit further and decide what we are going to do. I don’t know [how long he will be out for]. I would love to have him available for tomorrow.”
Mikel Arteta’s press conference is up next and, inevitably, he ends up fielding questions about Eze. Given the 27-year-old is yet to be unveiled, however, he stays tight-lipped. “Nothing to comment,” he says. “I can never talk about any player that is not part of our group yet.”
There has been some movement in the transfer market over the last few hours. In the Championship, Sheffield United have brought in the former Norwich and Everton centre-back Ben Godfrey on a season-long loan from Atalanta.
In the Premier League, Chelsea have confirmed the departure of Renato Veiga to Villarreal on a permanent deal thought to be worth £25.6m. Meanwhile Bournemouth have bade farewell to Luis Sinisterra, who has joined Cruzeiro in Brazil on loan.
Before Bournemouth welcome Wolves to the Vitality Stadium tomorrow, Andoni Iraola has suggested Ryan Christie is in the mix to play after a long layoff owing to groin surgery. “Ryan has been training pretty normally this week. I hope he trains without any problems today and he can get involved tomorrow. He comes without months of playing, but I am seeing him at a good level.”
While Eze’s move is still to be announced officially, David Raya, the Arsenal goalkeeper, has been talking about how he and his teammates have helped the club’s new signings settle in. “We know the team has been strengthened and we signed quality players that are going to be massive for the success of this club. I’m very happy with everyone and I think it’s very easy to integrate into this dressing room.
“We have welcomed them with open arms. We try to be as a group and try to welcome the players as well as possible, to settle in as quickly as possible, so that they can just focus on football and helping the team.”
Guardiola is asked about incomings and outgoings in the transfer market, but doesn’t give much away. “I don’t know,” he says, when asked about reports that Manuel Akanji and Savinho might move on. “They are our players and we will see what happens. A few things are going to happen and we will see.”
My turn again, is it? It certainly looks that way. Guardiola has also confirmed that Ederson is available to face Spurs, but he is yet to decide whether the Brazilian or James Trafford will start. “We will decide tomorrow or tonight after dinner. I am happy with [Trafford], the new players always bring a new energy and James brings his youth and desire to play for the club he grew up at.
“I said many times it was just his first game [against Wolves], we just have to be consistent and we have to be better and improve.”
More from Pep on its way. But now it’s time to hand you back to Will Magee. Enjoy your afternoon.
Rodri and Foden fit again for City
Pep Guardiola is speaking to the press and has some positive teams news ahead of Manchester City’s home game with Tottenham on Saturday. Rodri and Phil Foden both missed the opening 4-0 win against Wolves at Molineux but they’re ready for the visit of Spurs, says Pep.
Rodri and Phil were out last game, but for just the reason of lack of training and rhythm they didn’t travel to Palermo. They were not ready for 90 minutes against Wolves, but they are ready for tomorrow.
I just want consistent Rodri. That’s all. I don’t have any doubts about his potential and quality. He’s still the best player in the world until we elect a new one in a few months. I have no doubts. Consistency in training, games, and after everything will be fine.
Uefa is facing pressure to push back its deadline for separating ownership structures after a turbulent summer in which a handful of clubs, including Crystal Palace, were denied access to European competitions due to multi-club ownership rule-breaches. Matt Hughes and Nick Ames with this report.
A few more stats ahead of tonight’s 8pm kick-off.
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Chelsea have won five of their previous seven Premier League encounters with West Ham (D1 L1).
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The Blues have 32 wins in the competition against West Ham, a record they can only better against Tottenham (37 wins).
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West Ham have a decent recent record in home encounters with Chelsea, winning four, drawing two, and losing two of the last eight.
Computer says woe. West Ham are only given a 22% of beating Chelsea tonight according to the Opta supercomputer. The Hammers have collected just nine points from as many home games played under Graham Potter so that looks fair.
Fulham fans worried about a shortage of signings can breathe a sigh of relief. Then again, even a lengthy rummage through the outer margins of Transfermarkt may struggle to find Alex Dilling. Erm, that’s because he’s a chef.
From Fulham’s Insta: “Introducing our incredible line-up of chefs on rotation in The Gourmet restaurant for the 25/26 season.”
That’s the grub sorted then. Now for a few new players maybe.
Thanks Yara. Before we hear from that trio, here’s a couple of lines from Arne Slot yesterday. Liverpool have been leaking goals – two in both the Community Shield and their opening Premier League game – so he’s glad to have Ryan Gravenberch back from suspension.
If he is the same player as he was last season, that could help us a lot. If you just simply look at the second goal we conceded [against Bournemouth], they could just go from one side from the 18-yard box to the other side without being attacked, which was smart because Virgil [van Dijk] and Ibou [Konate] needed to go back because it was a four-versus-two situation.
I think if you look back at last season and every single time he played, Ryan would have been in that position and for him not being there and us playing with very good players but very attack-minded players, that hurt us in that goal, for example, and that wasn’t the first time where we lacked a player in that position on a counter-attack for the other team. Normally, if he brings his normal level, it would definitely help us to have him back again.
We need to find the right balance by not being too open. But that balance will be better with Ryan. Unfortunately, if you want to judge me or us, we now have to play Newcastle and Arsenal, who are normally teams that are going to be above Bournemouth in the league, so it’s even harder to play against them.
But with Macca [Alexis Mac Allister] being back, with Ryan in his normal position, I expect us to be even better prepared for the counter-attack than we were in this 2-2 moment, because I’ve watched the game twice back and I don’t think – apart from the two goals, especially the second one as a counter-attack – there were many other counter-attacks from Bournemouth. But if it leads to a goal, it’s of course a big story. For us conceding two, that’s too much in a home game, that’s too open.
We have some press conferences from Pep Guardiola, Ruben Amorim and Mikel Arteta coming up. Here is David Tindall to steer you through the next hour.
Earlier we confirmed Ipswich’s signing of Kasey McAteer. Here is what he had to say upon joining the club:
I’m delighted to be here and can’t wait.
It’s a very attractive project which is being built here and I want to add myself to that. I’ve been to Ipswich as an away player and I know how good the support is. As soon as I heard Ipswich were interested it was the only move I wanted to make.
The aim is to get promoted again and that’s what we will push for every day. I want to be a part of that and I aspire to be the best version of myself, which is something I will be looking to bring to the squad.
I’m excited to get to work with the boys and the staff and I can’t wait to meet the fans.
Graham Potter will lead West Ham against his former side Chelsea tonight and says his team are “a work in progress”.
The Hammers lost their opening Premier League match to Sunderland and it will be a tough task to bounce back against Enzo Maresca’s team.
We know we have to do more in terms of results and improve our performance. The players were gutted after the [Sunderland] game, and there was optimism and positivity, and now it is up to us to react.
We have to get more out of the squad that we have. We also look to improve, we will do that together, as a club, we will do that collectively and try to find the best solution.
It’s great when you’ve had a bad result, everyone thinks the silver bullet will come from outside and save us all. History would suggest it doesn’t work like that.
It’s about being a team and accepting the criticism when a bad result comes but to get on with your work and accept responsibility.
Last night Nottingham Forest confirmed the signing of Douglas Luiz from Juventus on a season-long loan with a conditional obligation to make the deal permanent next summer.
The 27-year-old midfielder left Aston Villa last year to join the Serie A side for £42.35m on a five-year contract.
I am really happy to be here, it’s a big club and I decided to come here because I can see the ambition the club has. I am so excited to start with the team and give my best for the shirt and the fans.
Lots of rumours of Chelsea looking at possible defensive reinforcements after Levi Colwill’s injury and Wesley Fofana reportedly not being happy at the club but Enzo Maresca put those rumours to rest in his press conference last night ahead of tonight’s game at West Ham. The manager said the club were looking at “internal solutions” and reiterated as much when pressed about possible signings.
We are trying to find internal solutions. I repeat again. Maybe I need to improve my English.
On Fofana’s mood at the club and abuse he faced from fans after removing mentions of Chelsea on his social media:
I speak with Wes every day, he is very happy, especially because he is back from injury. He is joining all the sessions and is very happy.
Wes is happy, we are happy and there is nothing to add. If there is abuse on Instagram that’s never good – not good for Wes or any player but is something that we unfortunately cannot control.
Ben Fisher
The Liverpool youngster Lewis Koumas is close to agreeing a loan move to Championship promotion hopefuls Birmingham City. The 19-year-old Wales forward spent last season on loan in the division with Stoke City, where he scored six goals in 49 appearances in all competitions.
Ipswich agree deal to sign McAteer from Leicester
Ben Fisher
Ipswich have signed Kasey McAteer from Championship rivals Leicester in a deal worth about £12m. The Republic of Ireland winger is a graduate of Leicester’s academy and previously spent time on loan at AFC Wimbledon and Forest Green Rovers.
McAteer represents Ipswich’s seventh summer signing, with Chuba Akpom, on loan from Ajax, and Ashley Young high-profile arrivals. Ipswich, who visit Preston on Saturday, have so far failed in their attempts to sign Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney, who has been linked with a move to the Premier League.
Leeds head to Arsenal tomorrow and Daniel Farke has promised his side will not “sell our DNA” to get the win.
We won’t sell out our DNA and park the bus. If you just try to defend you have no chance to survive there. We will try to be there with many periods with the ball. Will try to create chances to scare them. There will be periods where we suffer and we have to be well structured
The Leeds manager was also asked if Dominic Calvert-Lewin was any closer to making his debut for the club.
We’ll see. Each and every training session with the team is important for him. He had a long summer break, followed by a few weeks of individual training, where his general endurance was at a really good level. However, what he has missed is team training, and for that reason, each session is crucial.
He has made a decent impression, already well integrated, and you can see from day to day that he is growing. When we will use him for the first time, we’ll decide spontaneously. From a fitness point of view, he’s in good shape.
Wrexham will hope to get their first league win of the season tomorrow against Sheffield Wednesday and their 43-year wait for a win in English football’s second tier.
The ambitious Championship new boys have made a splash in the transfer market since sealing a stunning third straight promotion last term with 10 summer arrivals.
“We have had disappointing results,” said Conor Coady, who signed from Leicester earlier in the summer.
We’ve come away from the games thinking we should have won at least one of them, especially the Southampton one where we were 1-0 up so late.
But are we improving. Have we showed we can play? Yeah, of course but we need to get them wins on the board. We’re there to win games. It’s as simple as that.
We’ll keep trying, we’ll keep learning, we’ll keep getting better and hopefully it’ll come soon.
Howe has also been asked about the atmosphere at St James’ Park, which might be extra hostile given the circumstances:
The first home game is always going to be electric. I love experience those nights with the energy that the crowd bring us and I have no doubt that this will be a really passionate display from the home support. We need to harness that and use it but not be reckless with it, we need to concentrate on the game and not get too emotional.
Eddie Howe was asked specifically about Alexander Isak’s social media post claiming promises from Newcastle were broken:
There is always two sides to every story. My job is to support him and care for him, and we will see where we are in a week’s time. I hope I can work with him again and get him back to his best.
At the moment [reintegration into the squad] is not an option for us so rather than talk hypotheticals, I’d rather talk when we get to that point and try to get the best for Alex and get the best for the team. Until the point, we are better off focusing on the players we have available for the team.
Alex is an outstanding player and a very good person and a good character. He wants to succeed in his career and this has been a really difficult situation for him and for the players that we have to see us without him. If Alex decided to come back and play for us the players would welcome him back.
Without Isak, Newcastle will probably play Anthony Gordon as a No 9. The 24-year-old primarily plays as a winger but Howe believes he is more than capable of leading the line.
He has done it enough to be able to do the job really well for the team. I have played him there a number of times both as a starter and as a substitute. He plays it differently to other strikers but that can be a positive in the respect that he has devastating pace and a strong work ethic.
Of course he’s scored goals historically from wide areas but also from central areas and I think you can over play the change of position and I think he enjoys the role and he played really well last week. He had a lot of chances and a lot of shots so I thought it was a good display from him.
Thanks Will and hello everyone! Lots to be expected from these final 10 days of the window. Let’s see what else Howe has said on Isak and the game against Liverpool on Monday.
Having steered you through the early morning slot, it’s time for me to hand over to Yara El-Shaboury for the next few hours. Who’s going to get the official Eze announcement? It could be Yara! Scenes if so.
Dias signs new deal with Manchester City
Jamie Jackson
Rúben Dias has signed a two-year contract extension with Manchester City that keeps him at the club until 2029.
The defender is intent on helping Pep Guardiola’s team claim more silverware after last season’s barren campaign.
The 28-year-old said: “My job now is to be the best I can be for the duration of this contract, so that I can play my part in helping us challenge for more silverware.
“I want to thank my teammates, Pep, Hugo [Viana], the coaching staff and everyone at the club. This is such a special place, and I am grateful every single day for the support I receive. Now the hard work begins, and I want to promise the fans that I will give everything to win more trophies and bring more success to City.”
The Portuguese centre-back has won 10 trophies in five years at City, making 223 appearances in all competitions.
Asked how he is dealing with the Isak transfer saga on a personal level, Howe adds: “I think these situations are far from ideal, talking press-wise, and a lot of the attention has gone on to that rather than the team and our preparation.
“But as soon as I leave here I’m back with the team, I’m back preparing training, taking training, delivering meetings, speaking to individual players and trying to get the group in the best frame of mind possible. So the job never changes, but the outside perception is one that’s of course totally different to normal.”
Howe says ‘no change’ in Isak impasse
Eddie Howe is speaking to the media ahead of Newcastle’s game against Liverpool on Monday evening and, unsurprisingly, everyone seems to be asking about Alexander Isak. The Newcastle manager concedes “there’s been no change” in the impasse between the club and the striker, who is pushing hard for a move to Anfield, and that he won’t be part of the squad when Arne Slot’s side visit St James’ Park.
“He’s contracted to us, he’s our player,” Howe says. “My wish is that he would be playing on Monday night with us, but he won’t be, and that’s regrettable at this moment. But 100% I want to see him back in a Newcastle shirt.”
Is anyone on Eze watch outside the Emirates at the moment? Perhaps with a handmade welcome sign on A4 paper and cardboard? Feel free to email in with any updates if so. Some Eze-themed street art has already popped up in the local area, while the latest is that his medical is imminent (or possibly already under way).
Sheffield Wednesday fans in revolt against Chansiri
Will Unwin
Sheffield Wednesday supporters are planning a protest outside the Thai embassy against the club’s owner, Dejphon Chansiri, over his running of the club. London-based fans will be joined by those travelling down from South Yorkshire to show their upset with the running of the club.
Owls fans will also boycott the team’s match against Leeds at Hillsborough on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup. Supporters will instead be encouraged to watch the game on a big screen outside the local working men’s club.
Supporters want Chansiri to sell the club but movement on a takeover has been slow, to say the least. They have previously held protests at their opening match against Leicester, when fans did not take their seats for the first five minutes and had a plane fly overhead with an anti-Chansiri message. That was followed by a whistle protest in the first home game of the season against Stoke.
“The London Owls are planning a protest against Dejphon Chansiri’s ownership of our wonderful football club,” a fan statement read.
“We might be 160-plus miles from Hillsborough but our members feel just as strongly as those thousands closer to S6 that ‘Enough is Enough’ and unless Chansiri sells up soon then the club faces the prospect of financial ruin.”
Preamble
It’s Friday morning and rather than choosing life, choosing a job, choosing a career or choosing a family, we’re about to choose another weekend of Premier League football.
Round two of the 2025-26 season – still feels a bit weird to write that, the sands of time are slipping away at a terrifying rate aren’t they? – begins with Chelsea’s visit to West Ham this evening, but there will be a full slate of press conferences and team news to come.
There’s also the small matter of Eberechi Eze completing his move to Arsenal which, given the reaction it has already elicited online, is bound to make it a difficult day for Tottenham fans on social media. What better way to shut out the noise than joining us here?
As for the neutrals in that particular transfer wrangle, there will also be plenty of tidbits from the transfer market, EFL, Scottish Premiership and European football.
So grab yourself a brew, open a sneaky extra tab at work and let’s settle in for a day of minimum productivity and maximum Beautiful Game. Here are a couple of things to get you started:
