Author: James Brooks

Manchester United have agreed a £50m deal with Chelsea to sign Brazilian central midfielder Andrey Santos this summer. The deal progressed quickly over the course of a few hours after United made their interest in Santos known over the weekend. United will pay an initial £48m for the 22-year-old, with a further £2m in add-ons described as achievable, and Chelsea have also secured a 10% sell-on clause. Santos has been cleared to undergo a medical at United, with fellow Brazilian Ederson also set to complete his own medical ahead of a separate £35m move from Atalanta. The Ederson deal follows…

London City Lionesses have completed the biggest transfer in Women’s Super League history by signing two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas from Barcelona. The Spanish midfielder, known in her homeland as ‘La Reina’ — the Queen — spent 14 years at Barcelona, helping them win 38 major trophies including 10 league titles and four Champions Leagues. Putellas won back-to-back Ballon d’Or awards in 2021 and 2022 before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury on the eve of Euro 2022 that threatened to derail her career. She recovered to win the World Cup with Spain in 2023 and was part of…

This World Cup Golden Boot race is unlike anything the tournament has seen before, with four of football’s greatest forwards pushing into record-breaking territory simultaneously. Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi and Harry Kane are all producing numbers that would comfortably win the Golden Boot at most modern tournaments outright. Messi leads the way with eight goals, while Mbappe and Haaland sit on seven and Kane remains in contention on six, a tally that secured the award entirely on its own back in 2018. Double-figure scoring at a World Cup is one of football’s rarest historical feats, with only a…

Derek McInnes has recorded his second pre-season victory as Rangers manager after his side beat Scottish Championship outfit Raith Rovers 5-1 behind closed doors. The friendly took place at Auchenhowie, the club’s training centre, giving McInnes a valuable first look at his squad in a competitive setting. Rangers invited the second-tier side to their facility for what is commonly referred to as a bounce game, a low-key but important fixture in any pre-season programme. McInnes used the match to assess his options across the squad, rotating heavily throughout the ninety minutes to spread fitness work across his entire group. In…

London City Lionesses have completed the signing of two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas in what many are calling one of the greatest coups in women’s football history. The Spain midfielder, widely regarded as one of the greatest players the game has ever seen, left Barcelona in May after 14 years with the club. Putellas, 32, attracted interest from almost every top club in the world before choosing to join the London side on a free transfer. She was unveiled in New York City alongside London City’s US billionaire owner Michele Kang, marking a landmark moment for the club and…

The Egyptian Football Association has asked Fifa to remove the officials who handled their last-16 World Cup defeat against Argentina from the tournament. The EFA lodged a formal complaint with football’s world governing body, demanding an investigation into what it described as “double standards” of officiating during the match in Atlanta. Egypt were leading 1-0 in the second half when VAR ruled out a goal by Mostafa Zico after midfielder Marwan Attia was penalised for stepping on Lisandro Martinez’s foot at the start of the move. The Egyptians also believed Mohamed Salah was fouled inside the Argentina penalty area in…

England and Norway meet in the World Cup quarter-finals in Miami on Saturday, renewing a rivalry forever defined by one extraordinary piece of radio commentary. It was 45 years before Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland lit up the current tournament that Norwegian commentator Bjorge Lillelien delivered words that have echoed through football history. Norway beat an England side featuring Bryan Robson, Glenn Hoddle, Kevin Keegan and Trevor Francis 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo in September 1981. The result was considered a national embarrassment for England and the greatest triumph in Norwegian football history at…

Switzerland have advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating Colombia in a dramatic penalty shootout. The Swiss side edged past their South American opponents by a margin of 4-3 from the spot, booking their place in the last eight of the tournament. It was a tense conclusion to what had clearly been a closely contested match between two competitive sides at this stage of the competition. Switzerland demonstrated nerves of steel when it mattered most, converting their penalties with the composure required at this level of football. Colombia, by contrast, were unable to match their…

Fifa has opened a formal investigation into alleged racist abuse involving American social media influencer IShowSpeed during Argentina’s 3-2 win over Cape Verde on Friday. The incident is alleged to have taken place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on 3 July, where the last-32 fixture was held. Fifa said it was made aware of the situation and “immediately initiated an investigation” following the alleged abuse at the venue. IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr, has been live-streaming matches throughout the tournament to his enormous online audience. The 21-year-old commands 57 million subscribers on YouTube and…

Egypt’s World Cup campaign ended in devastating fashion as Argentina completed a stunning 3-2 comeback victory in Atlanta Stadium to send the Pharaohs home furious. With 12 minutes of normal time remaining, Egypt led the reigning world champions 2-0 and were within touching distance of a first-ever World Cup quarter-final. Cristian Romero reduced the deficit in the 79th minute before captain Lionel Messi equalised four minutes later to level the scores at 2-2. Enzo Fernandez then completed a remarkable Argentina turnaround with a header in the second minute of stoppage time to send Argentina’s fans wild with delight. In an…