There were few positives for Sunderland fans in the 2016-17 season as they finished rock bottom and 16 points from safety, but the emergence of one of their own - Jordan Pickford - was a highlight. Initially second choice to Vito Mannone, Pickford was promoted to the first team after an injury to his colleague and never gave up the No.1 spot. He ended the year with the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
Look, if Spurs are out of Europe and struggling, they're going to find themselves more more susceptible to offers for their best players. It's going to be an interesting summer for Tottenham, let's see where they are. They'll be desperate to get out of this relegation dogfight and improve their squad to avoid a similar situation in the coming seasons.
The 18-year-old La Masia graduate, who had made his first-team breakthrough earlier this season under Hansi Flick, signed for French champions PSG in the winter. Dro's contract had a €6 million release clause, and he decided to make use of it to secure a move away, even though in the end PSG ended up paying Barça around €8.5 million - thanks to the good relationship between the two clubs.
After Marseille's 1-0 win over the European champions in September their first at the Velodrome in the league in 14 years the word finally was the word scrawled across the front page of local paper La Provence. That victory brought relief, but also hope and optimism: the Empire could be toppled. But it struck back on Sunday night. Rubbish, read the front page of La Provence on Monday.
Karim Benzema's move to Al-Hilal has cast fresh doubt on the future of Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. The 40-year-old was missing from Monday's 1-0 Saudi Pro League win at Al-Riyadh, the day Benzema's move from Al-Ittihad to Al-Hilal was confirmed. Ronaldo is reportedly dissatisfied with how Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which also has a stake in Newcastle, is controlling the affairs of both Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr, unhappy that a rival club have signed his former Real Madrid teammate.
The 28-year-old won six Champions League titles with OL Lyonnes. Her most recent club was the NWSL side San Diego Wave, with whom she parted ways on Sunday by mutual agreement, having wanted to move back closer to home. She scored seven times in 34 games for San Diego after joining in the summer of 2024, and helped them win the second edition of the World Sevens Football tournament in December, but it is her time with OL Lyonnes that built her reputation.
Rangers have "initiated negotiations" with French midfielder Pierre Ekwah, but any deal could be complicated by a legal dispute between the player and Saint Etienne, who he has refused to play for since their relegation from Ligue 1. (Daily Record, external via Sport) Celtic are weighing up a move for Ivorian winger Jocelin Ta Bi, who is on loan at Hapoel Petah Tikva from fellow Israeli side Maccabi Netanya. (Daily Record), external
Rangers are in danger of losing Bailey Rice for free, with Aston Villa and Sunderland tracking the 19-year-old midfielder's progress, while West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff City are preparing pre-contract offers for him in January amid no indication that the Ibrox club are discussing a new contract. (Daily Mail, print edition) Rangers are considering recalling Oscar Cortes from his loan at Sporting Gijon in January because of his lack of game time,
We're building Swedish youth. The sign adorning the main stand at Brommapojkarna is simple, authoritative and accurate. Beneath it, in the lashing rain, the men's side are training. But while their top-tier status is important, that is far from the primary focus. Twenty-four hours before the men's game, BP's 5,000-capacity Grimsta IP stadium hosted a celebration of the under-19s, who secured a first national title since 2008.
The transfer release clause is a multi-purpose contract inclusion that could be set to be the catalyst for the upcoming January transfer window. Release clauses, ubiquitous in the transfer markets of some major leagues around the world and increasingly common in others, can be used to protect a player's value or indeed to persuade them to sign the deal in the first place.
It was the right decision at the time. Then there are the human variables; no one could have predicted Lukaku's difficulties, perhaps not so much environmental ones, because he knew the club, but rather in his relationship with the coach. He came from an almost father-son relationship with (Antonio) Conte, and that difference in approach affected him in some way, along with the injury he suffered. If it hadn't been for that, the story would have been different.
"It's never the plan as a footballer to have played for as many clubs as I have." Esther Morgan cannot quite hide the smile on her face as she considers her recent transfer history. The Wales full-back joined Bristol City this summer, her seventh club since 2021 and she is still aged only 23. As a Tottenham Hotspur player she had loan spells at Leicester City, Coventry United and Sunderland before a move to Scottish side Hearts in 2023.
Rangers' decision-makers are already speaking to alternatives to Russell Martin despite the board throwing their faith behind the under-fire head coach. (Record), external Nicolas Raskin's best friend from his homeland, Walid Cheref, who now plays for lower league club Crisnee, says he knows there is a lot of interest from other clubs in the Belgium midfielder who has fallen out of favour with Rangers head coach Martin. (National - subscription required), external
Physical fights between teammates are nothing new in football. Newcastle's Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer were famously sent off for trading blows on the pitch in 2005, before issuing grovelling apologies after the game. John Hartson kicked his West Ham teammate Eyal Berkovic in the face during a training-ground bust-up in 1998, with the midfielder claiming: If my head had been a ball, it would have been in the top corner of the net. Robinho once took a pop at Thomas Gravesen during a Real Madrid training session in 2006. The Dane responded, and was sold that summer to Celtic.
The Bundesliga is known as the proving grounds of upcoming talent. Most of the best players in Europe's top five leagues have played in Germany before, then gets sold off for bigger fees to other clubs. The BuLi also buys players, but wisely, and its exploits over the offseason saw it place third among the top five leagues in expenditure:
