Even so, I did very well at Tottenham. They were very tough on me, and the chairman, Daniel Levy, made it crystal clear in our first meeting [that] there was absolutely no chance they would let me go. After that, I carried on as if nothing had happened. I knew it would be complicated; both clubs are in London, and there's a rivalry. I wanted to go, even though I knew it was going to be very difficult.
The 19-year-old playmaker has impressed with the Dutch outfit, and the two Premier League clubs are keen on securing his services, as per TBR. They have done well to bring in talented young players in recent seasons, and Smit would be another future investment for them. He has all the tools to develop into a top-class playmaker with the right guidance.
The 18-year-old striker joined Manchester City from PSG, and he is highly rated in the game. The African is expected to develop into a future star, and Liverpool will be disappointed to have missed out on him. Clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona were keeping tabs on his situation as well. However, Manchester City managed to win the race for him.
Manchester United are interested in signing Eduardo Camavinga from Real Madrid, according to Fichajes. Chelsea and Newcastle United are also reported ot be interested in the France international defensive midfielder, who can also operate as a left-back. Madrid reportedly value Camavinga at £70 million. The 22-year-old has been on the books of the Spanish and European powerhouse since 2021 and has won the La Liga title twice and the Champions League on two occasions with Los Blancos.
Ali Barat, the super-agent who dominated the summer with multiple market-defining deals, including Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson's loan to Bayern Munich, Chelsea winger Noni Madueke's transfer to Arsenal and Chelsea target Xavi Simons' switch to Tottenham Hotspur, has spoken to Confidential on his whirlwind window. The favourite to be crowned Best Agent at the Golden Boy awards for the second time later this year, Barat exudes calmness when he speaks.
Our sincerest apologies for that we hope this one makes up for it a little. For those who haven't been here before, here's the drill: we put 20 questions to you with no time limit on virtually anything and everything to do with football. It's virtually impossible to get 100 per cent but we'd love you to sign into FourFourTwo and tell us in the comments how close you came. Happy Friday!
Yoane Wissa was about to realise a dream by moving to the Premier League. But in July 2021, a month before he joined Brentford from Lorient, it very nearly turned into a living nightmare. Wissa was attacked at his home, with acid thrown in his face. He could have lost his sight. It could have ended his career. A woman was later convicted of the attack, and of attempting to kidnap his daughter, and was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
You'll never guess who's hiding behind the question marks (Image credit: Getty Images) The Champions League returns for another season next week with 36 teams getting the League Phase underway. Each side will be vying for European glory this season, although that looks very different to some teams compared to others. Former winners will be keen to get their name on the trophy again, whilst other sides keen to make it through to the knockout stage, perhaps for the first time.
Plenty of factors go into determining a transfer fee: wages, length of contract, age, position, whether a club has a need to acquire a player or has a need to offload, what the budget is, and how far along the player is in his development. Galleni says there's a premium for upside: an exceedingly athletic player might be able to improve technically and therefore be worth the investment. (The opposite -- a very technically gifted player who becomes a better athlete -- is far rarer.)
West Ham United midfielder Edson Alvarez has joined Turkish club Fenerbahce on loan with an option to make the move permanent next summer. The Mexico international, 27, joined the Hammers in a 35m deal from Dutch side Ajax in 2023. He has made 73 appearances for the club, scoring two goals and assisting three. Alvarez was an unused substitute in West Ham's opening Premier League defeat at Sunderland but was not part of the squad for Friday's 5-1 home defeat by Chelsea.
"It feels like the perfect fit," Doak told Bournemouth's website, describing himself as "buzzing". "The team play very nice football. It's fast and it really suits my game, so I felt like I couldn't say no."
Jacob Ramsey has signed a long-term contract with Newcastle, helping Villa with the Profitability and Sustainability rules, moving from Villa Park to the Toon Army.
