A fresh start has become essential. It may be an exaggeration to suggest Chelsea have transformed from a talent factory into a home for veterans after recruiting Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck, but their summer strategy has clearly evolved. Experienced figures have finally been added, and Xabi Alonso will hope their maturity helps a youthful […]
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Unai Emery did little to dismiss suggestions that Ollie Watkins had made himself unavailable for Aston Villa’s chastening 4-0 loss to Brighton at the Amex on Sunday. Injuries to Brian Madjo and Tammy Abraham left the head coach short of attacking options, yet Watkins was still omitted from the matchday squad as the England forward […]
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Enzo Maresca described Manchester City as a team still under development after they secured a dramatic late victory over Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Marc Guéhi levelled the score in the 85th minute before Josko Gvardiol struck the winner in stoppage time, giving City’s new head coach a victory in his opening match. […]
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Hull managed only nine league goals from dead-ball situations last season, matching the lowest total in the Championship. However, two such goals inside the opening 21 minutes secured a memorable win over Manchester United on Saturday. The visitors endured a dreadful opening to their campaign. Michael Carrick had warned beforehand that the contest would be […]
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Manchester City have reached an agreement with Lille for Ayyoub Bouaddi in a deal valued at €95m (£81.4m), with a further €5m available in performance-related bonuses. The Morocco midfielder’s expected arrival will push the club’s summer spending close to £200m, following the £116m acquisition of Elliot Anderson earlier in the transfer window. The 18-year-old was […]
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Jean-Philippe Mateta is involved in a contractual dispute with Crystal Palace over the last year of his deal. However, his effort to have the agreement declared invalid was unsuccessful before an independent Premier League tribunal and Fifa. The French striker agreed to a four-and-a-half-year contract after completing a permanent transfer from Mainz in January 2022, […]
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Predicted position from our writers: 9th (Note: this does not necessarily reflect Sophie Downey’s individual view, but represents the average prediction from the panel) Last season’s position: 9th Prospects Aston Villa endured a difficult campaign last season, with ninth place falling short of the expectations shared by the club and its supporters. Even so, Natalia […]
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Enzo Maresca has played down the impact of Rodri’s £65m move to Barcelona, insisting Manchester City will look for the “next Rodri”, just as Erling Haaland was recruited to succeed Sergio Agüero. Rodri’s exit represents a significant setback for the club’s new manager as he begins his first campaign in charge. However, the Italian remains […]
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Roberto De Zerbi admitted that Tottenham are “not a team” yet after beginning the season with a damaging 3-0 loss at Brentford. Spurs hope to progress after narrowly avoiding relegation last season and are likely to invest more than £300m in new players this summer. However, Brentford delivered an early reality check at the Gtech […]
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Inter opened their Serie A title defence with an emphatic 4-1 victory at home to Monza. The newly promoted visitors recovered from an early setback to reach half-time level, but the reigning champions dominated after the interval. Hakan Calhanoglu gave Inter the lead in the sixth minute, although the home side became too relaxed after […]
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