Ten of the best-value deals from this summer’s transfer window
04/09/2024 - Close to £5bn was spent by Europe’s top five men’s leagues – but which players may prove to be Expand
04/09/2024 - Close to £5bn was spent by Europe’s top five men’s leagues – but which players may prove to be worth the fees paid?For many Liverpool fans the summer window was too quiet, with no major arrivals and contracts left unsigned. Arne Slot’s impressive start has eased frustrations, and the Valencia keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili has agreed to join next summer – but when a new face arrived at Anfield, he was undeniably a bargain. Chiesa was frozen out at Juventus and has had issues with form and fitness, but he has the skillset to succeed in the Premier League and is still only 26. Birmingham City paid £5m more to sign Jay Stansfield from Fulham on deadline day. Chiesa need offer only glimpses of his best to repay his cut-price fee. Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Mbappé off the mark as Real beat Betis; Kane scores in Freiburg win
01/09/2024 - Former PSG attacker scores twice in 2-0 winEngland captain converts penalty for BayernKylian Expand
01/09/2024 - Former PSG attacker scores twice in 2-0 winEngland captain converts penalty for BayernKylian Mbappé opened his La Liga account at the fourth time of asking with a double to fire Real Madrid to a 2-0 home win over Real Betis.Mbappé had failed to score in Madrid’s opening three league fixtures, which resulted in the champions dropping points at Mallorca and Las Palmas. Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Bayern fight back at Wolfsburg, Endrick seals Madrid win
25/08/2024 - Bayern win 3-2 in Vincent Kompany’s first league matchReal Madrid 3-0 Valladolid; Napoli 3-0 Expand
25/08/2024 - Bayern win 3-2 in Vincent Kompany’s first league matchReal Madrid 3-0 Valladolid; Napoli 3-0 BolognaA late goal by Serge Gnabry secured Bayern Munich a hard-fought 3-2 Bundesliga victory at Wolfsburg to give their new coach Vincent Kompany a winning start.Wolfsburg began brightly but it was the visitors who made the better chances in the first half, taking the lead after fine work by Sacha Boey down the right to set up Jamal Musiala for an easy tap-in. Bayern made a poor start to the second half, however, as they gave away a penalty when Tiago Tomas was brought down by Boey, and Lovro Majer made no mistake from the spot. Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Napoli make dire start, Real Madrid held at Mallorca
18/08/2024 - Napoli lose 3-0 at Verona in Conte’s first league gameMallorca hit back in second half against Expand
18/08/2024 - Napoli lose 3-0 at Verona in Conte’s first league gameMallorca hit back in second half against Real MadridNapoli’s Serie A season kicked off in disastrous fashion on Sunday when they were overwhelmed 3-0 at Verona and lost midfielder Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after he collided with an opposing player.Antonio Conte, in his first league match in charge of the 2023 champions, was forced to take off Kvaratskhelia just before half-time when the Georgian looked uncomfortable after the collision. Continue reading... Collapse
Manchester United set to sign Joshua Zirkzee and up Jarrad Branthwaite bid
08/07/2024 - Netherlands striker ready to join from BolognaNew offer of £45m plus £5m add-ons for Everton Expand
08/07/2024 - Netherlands striker ready to join from BolognaNew offer of £45m plus £5m add-ons for Everton defenderManchester United are closing in on signing Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna after terms with the striker and his agent’s commission were agreed. The club are deliberating over whether to trigger the Netherlands international’s €40m (£34m) release clause or negotiate a higher fee that would allow payments by instalments.Erik ten Hag is also targeting the centre-backs Jarrad Branthwaite and Matthijs de Ligt, and cashflow is an issue for United. So having the funds to operate in the market is a balancing act reliant in part on outgoings that would draw finance from fees and the removal of salaries. Continue reading... Collapse
Conte promises ‘total commitment’ after being appointed by Napoli
05/06/2024 - Italian returns to game after a year’s break from coachingConte signs contract with the Serie A Expand
05/06/2024 - Italian returns to game after a year’s break from coachingConte signs contract with the Serie A side until 2027Napoli have appointed Antonio Conte as manager, the Serie A club announced on Wednesday, with the Italian signing a contract until 2027.Conte will be coming back from a one-year break following his departure from the position of head coach at Tottenham. He will take charge of a Napoli team that endured a lacklustre season, finishing in 10th place as they sought to defend their title as champions of the 2022-23 season. Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Barcelona beat Sevilla in bittersweet farewell for Xavi
26/05/2024 - Frosinone relegated from Serie A after late Empoli goalGalatasary and Club Brugge win titles in Expand
26/05/2024 - Frosinone relegated from Serie A after late Empoli goalGalatasary and Club Brugge win titles in Turkey and BelgiumBarcelona ended the season with a 2-1 victory at Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday, making Xavi Hernández’s farewell bittersweet after a trophyless season in which they finished 10 points behind Real Madrid.The final game for Xavi, who was sacked on Friday, leaves Barça second after a disappointing campaign in which they lost the Spanish Super Cup final to Real Madrid and were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight. Continue reading... Collapse
US investment firm seizes control of Inter after missed payment from Chinese owners
22/05/2024 - Suning’s loan was guaranteed by stake in Italian clubInter become seventh Serie A club with US Expand
22/05/2024 - Suning’s loan was guaranteed by stake in Italian clubInter become seventh Serie A club with US ownersThe United States-based investment fund Oaktree Capital Management said on Wednesday it has become the new owner of Serie A champions Inter after a missed $428m (£336m) payment from the club’s Chinese holding company, Suning.Granted in 2021 to the Luxembourg-based vehicle through which the Chinese conglomerate Suning controlled Inter, the loan was guaranteed by the firm’s stake in the club. Under the scheme, Oaktree had the right to take control of the club in the event of a default. Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Sørloth scores four goals in 17 minutes against Real Madrid
19/05/2024 - Striker snatches Villarreal 4-4 draw and goes top of goal chartsSlot says goodbye at Feyenoord | Expand
19/05/2024 - Striker snatches Villarreal 4-4 draw and goes top of goal chartsSlot says goodbye at Feyenoord | Montero takes charge at JuveAlexander Sørloth struck four times in 17 minutes to help Villarreal fight back and snatch a 4-4 home draw against champions Real Madrid and take himself top of La Liga’s scoring charts.Carlo Ancelotti’s side, crowned champions a fortnight ago, could have reached 99 points for the season, one shy of their 2011-12 record but will now fall short, as they sit on 94 before their final league game against Real Betis. Continue reading... Collapse
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Nostalgic Serie A five-a-side teams: picking a line-up for … Parma
04/09/2024 - Kicking off a new series, where writers choose their nostalgic Serie A teams of Calcio, with an Expand
04/09/2024 - Kicking off a new series, where writers choose their nostalgic Serie A teams of Calcio, with an impossible choiceBy Mark Gordon for The Gentleman UltraRather than delving into the history books, I have decided to stick with players that I have seen play for my Parma five-a-side lineup. I could easily have gone defensive as I reluctantly left out Roberto Sensini, Lilian Thuram, Luigi Apolloni and Antonio Benarrivo. Similarly, I could have gone for all-out attack but left out Faustino Asprilla, Tomas Brolin, Enrico Chiesa and Alberto Gilardino. Special mentions must go to a few of my favourite ever Parma players. The goalkeepers Sébastien Frey and Cláudio Taffarel along with the midfielders Juan Sebastián Verón and Diego Fuser, were all players that I loved to watch. Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Barcelona put seven past Valladolid, Lukaku rescues Napoli
31/08/2024 - Raphinha hat-trick helps Barça extend their perfect startNapoli score twice in stoppage time to Expand
31/08/2024 - Raphinha hat-trick helps Barça extend their perfect startNapoli score twice in stoppage time to sink 10-man ParmaRaphinha scored the first hat-trick of his career and added two assists to guide Barcelona to a 7-0 rout of Real Valladolid in La Liga on Saturday.Hansi Flick’s side will go into the international break top of the table with a perfect 12 points from four games, seven clear of bitter rivals Real Madrid, who have a game in hand. Facing a side who gave Madrid a tough game last weekend, Barça were ruthless as they took their goal tally to 13 from four matches. Continue reading... Collapse
European roundup: Lewandowski fires Barcelona past Athletic Bilbao
24/08/2024 - Milan shocked by 2-1 loss to Parma in Serie ADortmund make winning start in BundesligaRobert Expand
24/08/2024 - Milan shocked by 2-1 loss to Parma in Serie ADortmund make winning start in BundesligaRobert Lewandowski smashed home a rebound to earn Barcelona a 2-1 win against Athletic Bilbao in an absorbing La Liga clash on Saturday.A deflected strike by Lamine Yamal in the 24th minute gave Barça the lead. The visitors levelled in the 42nd minute when Oihan Sancet struck home from the penalty spot after Pau Cubarsí fouled Álex Berenguer inside the box. Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Inter held at Genoa, Lewandowski inspires Barça fightback
17/08/2024 - Serie A champions denied by stoppage-time equaliserLewandowski scores twice as Barcelona beat Expand
17/08/2024 - Serie A champions denied by stoppage-time equaliserLewandowski scores twice as Barcelona beat ValenciaInternazionale’s Serie A title defence began unconvincingly with a 2-2 draw at Genoa as a last-gasp goal from Junior Messias secured a point for the hosts. Inter, missing the key players Stefan de Vrij and Piotr Zielinski, could not find the margins to start their campaign with a win, despite a double from Marcus Thuram.Alessandro Vogliacco gave Genoa a shock lead after 20 minutes by tapping in a rebound off the bar. Ten minutes later, Thuram showcased his aerial prowess by heading in a lofted cross from Niccolo Barella to level the scores. Continue reading... Collapse
Arsenal look to finalise £42m signing of Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori
08/07/2024 - Arteta keen to complete deal this week before US tourBologna and Basel to receive windfalls from Expand
08/07/2024 - Arteta keen to complete deal this week before US tourBologna and Basel to receive windfalls from transferArsenal are hoping to complete the signing of Riccardo Calafiori this week after holding further talks with Bologna over the Italy defender. The 22-year-old is understood to have agreed terms after his impressive displays at Euro 2024 and Mikel Arteta is keen to push through the transfer before Arsenal depart for their pre-season tour of the United States next week.Negotiations over the fee and the structure of payments are believed to have progressed over the past few days, with Bologna likely to receive about £42m for the player they signed from Basel last summer for £3.4m. The Swiss club are understood to be due 50% of any profit Bologna make. Continue reading... Collapse
Themes from this season’s Champions League: Germany’s rise to Man City’s stumble
02/06/2024 - Real Madrid lifted the trophy and may dominate for some time to come, while PSG are about to enter Expand
02/06/2024 - Real Madrid lifted the trophy and may dominate for some time to come, while PSG are about to enter an uncertain eraFrancisco Gento’s record of six European Cup wins was one of those records that looked unassailable, belonging to the era of football scrapbooks. And yet Dani Carvajal, scorer of Real Madrid’s first goal in the final, and Luka Modrić matched the legendary winger’s total with Madrid’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Toni Kroos, in his final club game, having won five with Real to add to his Champions League title in 2013 with Bayern Munich, joined them. Continue reading... Collapse
Thiago Motta heads for Juventus after calling time on historic Bologna run
23/05/2024 - Bologna have qualified for the Champions League for first time‘The club wishes him the best of Expand
23/05/2024 - Bologna have qualified for the Champions League for first time‘The club wishes him the best of luck for the rest of his career’Thiago Motta has opted not to renew his contract at Bologna, the Serie A club said on Thursday, with the former Italy international set to move to Juventus, according to Italian media reports.Motta, 41, led Bologna to Champions League qualification for the first time in their history in his second season at the club, and those exploits have put him on the radar of many of Europe’s top teams. Continue reading... Collapse
Claudio Ranieri leaves Cagliari amid reports of retirement from football
21/05/2024 - ‘It was a hard and painful decision, but I think it is right’The 72-year-old has kept Cagliari in Expand
21/05/2024 - ‘It was a hard and painful decision, but I think it is right’The 72-year-old has kept Cagliari in Serie A this seasonClaudio Ranieri will leave his job as the Cagliari coach by mutual agreement, the Serie A club said on Tuesday, as local media reported that the 72-year-old was set to retire from football. The announcement came after Cagliari guaranteed themselves another season in the Italian top flight with a win at Sassuolo on Sunday.Sky Sports Italia reported that Cagliari will be Ranieri’s final team, as he has decided to retire from football. The Italian coach, who had previously managed Cagliari from 1988-91, had one year remaining on his contract after joining the club last season and leading them to promotion from Serie B. Continue reading... Collapse
European football: Bayer Leverkusen complete unbeaten Bundesliga season
18/05/2024 - Leverkusen beat Augsburg 2-1 on final dayAtalanta secure Champions League spot by beating Expand
18/05/2024 - Leverkusen beat Augsburg 2-1 on final dayAtalanta secure Champions League spot by beating LecceBayer Leverkusen edged past Augsburg 2-1 to become the first team in the history of the Bundesliga to complete a full season without a loss.Xabi Alonso’s treble-chasing side also stretched their European record unbeaten run across all competitions this season to 51 matches in a perfect dress rehearsal for Wednesday’s Europa League final against Atalanta. Continue reading... Collapse
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Milan stumble again as cooling break turns up the heat on Paulo Fonseca | Nicky Bandini
02/09/2024 - There were signs of disharmony even after Rafael Leão’s equaliser against Lazio as Milan extended Expand
02/09/2024 - There were signs of disharmony even after Rafael Leão’s equaliser against Lazio as Milan extended their winless startThe cooling break ought to have been a moment of opportunity for Milan, a chance to come together and plan a final assault. They had just pulled level at 2-2 away to Lazio, Rafael Leão driving the ball home from Tammy Abraham’s pass barely a minute after they were both introduced from the bench.With a little over a quarter of an hour remaining, players gathered around their manager, Paulo Fonseca, to take on water and listen to his instructions. All except for Leão and Theo Hernández, who convened instead on the far side of the pitch. Continue reading... Collapse
Ché Adams brings joy to Torino amid summer of transfer turmoil | Nicky Bandini
26/08/2024 - Former Southampton striker has made strong start at new club, but there are simmering tensions in Expand
26/08/2024 - Former Southampton striker has made strong start at new club, but there are simmering tensions in the backgroundBy full time, the joke going around the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino was that nobody should let the home team’s owner know how good his new striker was. Ché Adams had marked his full debut for the Granata with a goal and an assist, helping turn a 1-0 deficit against Atalanta into a 2-1 win. So, naturally, Torino’s supporters were starting to worry how long it would be until their club tried to cash in.It has been a painful summer of bidding farewell to their favourites. The centre-back Alessandro Buongiorno, whose breakout season earned him a place in Italy’s Euro 2024 squad, was sold to Napoli. Raoul Bellanova, who served up seven assists from right wing-back, completed a transfer to Atalanta just days before Torino were due to face them. Continue reading... Collapse
Antonio Conte can make few promises as Napoli reign begins with bad defeat | Nicky Bandini
19/08/2024 - If the four-time Scudetto winner was supposed to cure Napoli’s ills, a 3-0 defeat to Verona soon Expand
19/08/2024 - If the four-time Scudetto winner was supposed to cure Napoli’s ills, a 3-0 defeat to Verona soon nixed that ideaAntonio Conte was ready to lead by example. Asked what fans could expect from Napoli this season, during his official unveiling as manager in June, he promised the team would have “una faccia incazzata” – “a pissed-off face”. On the eve of their season opener at Verona, he showed up with one of his own.“I expected to find a better situation,” he said, as he assessed his team’s readiness for the new campaign. “I thought there might be some positive surprises [to go with the challenges] but I’ve struggled to find any.” Continue reading... Collapse
Inter stay strong above Serie A chaos with 14 new managers below them | Nicky Bandini
16/08/2024 - The managerial mix-up in Italy poses questions but with Simone Inzaghi staying put, Inter are Expand
16/08/2024 - The managerial mix-up in Italy poses questions but with Simone Inzaghi staying put, Inter are still the team to beatThe faces are familiar, but the places are all jumbled up. To preview this Serie A season feels like having a gossipy catchup with friends who lost track of each other’s lives.Remember how Thiago Motta swept Bologna off to Europe? Oh, that’s over: he’s with Juventus now. So Bologna got together with Vincenzo Italiano, after he left Fiorentina. They turned to Raffaele Palladino but that left Monza with nobody, until, of all people, Alessandro Nesta shows up on the scene. Please, we haven’t even got to the juicy part. Antonio Conte, he’s back. And get this, he’s with Napoli. Continue reading... Collapse
Imperious Inter show Mourinho and Allegri the door: Serie A season review | Nicky Bandini
06/06/2024 - Simone Inzaghi’s side won the league in the most satisfying way while their rivals imploded and Expand
06/06/2024 - Simone Inzaghi’s side won the league in the most satisfying way while their rivals imploded and managers explodedThe Serie A season ended on Sunday with a showdown between two European finalists. Atalanta’s game against Fiorentina had originally been scheduled for 17 March but was postponed after the Viola’s chief executive, Joe Barone, suffered a cardiac arrest at the team hotel. He was taken to hospital and placed on life support but died two days later.His passing was felt deeply by a club who lost a captain, Davide Astori, under similar circumstances six years before. Yet the football calendar pressed on. Fiorentina reached the final of the Europa Conference League and the semi-final of the Coppa Italia. Atalanta won the Europa League, after losing to Juventus in the domestic cup final. Continue reading... Collapse
Davide Nicola, Serie A’s Houdini, pulls off another escape act with Empoli | Nicky Bandini
27/05/2024 - After avoiding relegation with four other clubs, the magic manager performed his favourite trick Expand
27/05/2024 - After avoiding relegation with four other clubs, the magic manager performed his favourite trick on the final dayIt takes a confident magician to hold their nerve until the last moment of an escape act, allowing the audience’s anticipation to give way to concern and then panic. Could a hidden key have slipped free from anxious fingers? Will the water in that sealed tank keep rising? Might it be too late by the time anybody realises they needed saving?Davide Nicola has earned his reputation as Serie A’s Harry Houdini. In 2016, he took charge of a Crotone side who had just been promoted to Serie A for the first time in club history. After 29 games, they had 14 points. Continue reading... Collapse
An A for Villa to an F for Man Utd: how US owners have fared in European football
23/05/2024 - American billionaires and investment firms now control teams across Europe. Their stewardship Expand
23/05/2024 - American billionaires and investment firms now control teams across Europe. Their stewardship varies wildly in qualityIt might have taken the USA generations to take soccer seriously as a sport, but the country’s reach across the English and European game continues to grow, particularly when it comes to club ownership. Indeed, American entrepreneurs, moguls and general wealth-hoarders are now commonplace in boardrooms across world soccer.No fewer than nine Premier League clubs are majority owned by Americans – and that’s without even mentioning clubs lower down the pyramid such as Birmingham City and Wrexham (although Canada could claim that one too). Across continental Europe, too, there is a current of American ownership gathering pace – Serie A has proved particularly attractive recently. Continue reading... Collapse
Claudio Ranieri’s latest rescue act cements status as true Cagliari hero | Nicky Bandini
20/05/2024 - Veteran coach gave Serie A a much-needed good news story on a weekend overshadowed by off-field Expand
20/05/2024 - Veteran coach gave Serie A a much-needed good news story on a weekend overshadowed by off-field eventsThe penultimate weekend of the Serie A season was overshadowed by events off the pitch. On Friday, Juventus announced they had fired their manager, Massimiliano Allegri, citing his behaviour at the end of their Coppa Italia final triumph over Atalanta. Two days later, as Inter prepared to mark their league title with a trophy lift at San Siro, fans were wondering who their club would belong to next week.Monday marked the official deadline for their owners, Suning Capital, to repay debts of close to €395m (approx £337m) to Oaktree Capital, stemming from a loan taken out in 2021. A bank holiday in Luxembourg effectively extended the term until Tuesday, but an official statement from the Inter president, Steven Zhang, on Saturday accused the lender of “a lack of meaningful engagement” toward finding an “amicable resolution”. Continue reading... Collapse
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