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Arne Slot has conceded Liverpool can be considered favourites for the English Premier League (EPL) title but played down the impact of their spending and said a summer of upheaval had created some uncertainty over his team’s prospects. The head coach accepts Liverpool will carry the mantle of favourites into the new campaign having won a 20th league championship by a comfortable margin last season. Liverpool, who face the FA Cup winners, Crystal Palace, in the Community Shield tomorrow, Sunday, August 10, have since invested almost £300m on new talent and want to add the Newcastle striker Alexander Isak. No…

Cristiano Ronaldo's influence on the Saudi Pro League has stunned coach Jorge Jesus, with it claimed nobody would watch if CR7 was not in the league. The Portuguese megastar made his way to the Middle East early in 2023, following his stunning release by Premier League giants Manchester United. As has often been the case over the course of his remarkable career, Ronaldo quickly became a trendsetter. Several other household names have followed him to the Middle East, including fellow Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer Neymar and England international striker Ivan Toney. Barcelona Ace defender Inigo…

Villarreal yesterday confirmed the signing of Thomas Partey on a free transfer after the expiry of his contract with Arsenal. The move was announced two days after the 32-year-old appeared in court charged with six sexual offences. Partey was bailed to appear at the Old Bailey for trial later this year, charged with five counts of rape relating to two women and a charge of sexual assault against a third woman. The alleged offences are said to have taken place in 2021 and 2022 when Partey was playing for Arsenal. The Ghana international has signed a one-season contract and will…

As expected, the names of superstars Lamine Yamal, Ousmane Dembele, and Kylian Mbappe appeared on the list unfurled today byFrance Football among contenders for the 2025 Ballon d'Or. France Football are the organizers of the Ballon d’Or award. The list, which was determined by notable journalists across Europe, was published across their social media platforms. Aside Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain), Yamal (Barcelona), and Mbappe (Real Madrid), on the list are Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain) and Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal). Others are Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona), Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Serhou Guiarassy (Borussia Dortmund) and Lautaro…

ProspectsSecuring Champions League qualification on the last day of the Premier League season and an unlikely Club World Cup triumph have transformed the club, their finances and ambitions for 2025-26. Chelsea stayed relatively under the radar for much of the Club World Cup – in part because of their relatively kind route to the later stages – but their commanding 3-0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the final means they are again regarded as a potentially dominant European force and perhaps even as contenders for the Premier League title. That is if Chelsea are ready – mentally, physically and…

*Again, Arteta Makes Excuses By Ed Aarons, at the Emirates Stadium New season, same old Arsenal? On an evening (Wednesday, August 6) when Viktor Gyökeres was meant to announce himself as the solution to all of Mikel Arteta’s problems, instead it was a figure from Arsenal’s past who stole the show. At £72m -£8m more than they may end up paying for the Sweden striker –, Nicolas Pépé was an expensive Arsenal signing, a few months before Arteta replaced Unai Emery in 2019. Most of the fans who packed out the Emirates Stadium for this pre-season friendly will not have…

*Ethics Over Player's Quality, They Insist News that the former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is poised to join Villarreal has roiled fans of the Spanish club, with hundreds signing a petition urging the club to halt what has been described as the “darkest day in the club’s history”. Partey appeared in a London court on Tuesday, charged with five counts of rape relating to two women, and a charge of sexual assault against a third woman. The alleged offences are said to have taken place in 2021 and 2022 when Partey was playing for Arsenal. Partey’s lawyer has said he…

We are in summer, the transfer period in most countries. However, not a few football fans have no wealth of information about how footballers are transferred from one club to the other, sometimes across geographical borders. Player transfer is an entirely technical aspect of club operations and very vital to any club's season success or failure. Get the transfer right and you could move several notches up in the success ladder; get it wrong and you may remain mired in the marshes of your corporate melancholy. Therefore, a lot of strategic planning and clinical execution go into this aspect of…

Ademola Lookman has gone on strike as he attempts to force through a move to Inter, but Atalanta have insisted he will not be sold to another Italian club. The Nigeria forward did not attend pre-season training for the second day in a row after handing in a transfer request last weekend, when Lookman also published a statement in which he accused Atalanta of “broken promises”. An improved Inter bid worth up to €45m (£32.1m) including add-ons was rejected last week after a €40m offer for the 27-year-old was turned down. Inter are expected to return with a bid that…

Former Arsenal footballer Thomas Partey has appeared in court charged with six sexual offences. The 32-year-old was bailed to appear at the Old Bailey for trial later this year over allegations of rape and sexual assault. During today's brief hearing at Westminster magistrates court, he stood in the dock dressed all in black with his arms behind his back. Partey has been charged with five counts of rape against two women and a charge of sexual assault against a third woman. The alleged offences are said to have taken place in 2021 and 2022 when he was an Arsenal player.…