Sports Category
Sports news, commentary and scores with wit and added value. We compare and contrast the best and worst sports reporting in the mainstream press, blogs, TV and online. We love the English Premier League (Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester United and Manchester City) and all things football but we cover cricket, rugby, the Olympics, tennis, golf, F1 and highlights of the sporting year.
Arsenal in for Chelsea defender David Luiz
Arsenal have made moves to hire Chelsea defender David Luiz. The 32-year-old Brazilian’s Chelsea contract runs until 2021. He only signed that deal in May 2019. Reports from France says Luiz has refused to train with Chelsea unless they agree to let him join the Gunners. The truth of that single report is hard to support, what with it containing no facts. But the British press has heard enough:
Would Luiz really strike to get what he wants? Another report says Luiz has been in a series of “fall-outs” with Chelsea over the past week.
Arsenal fan Carl Jenkinson joins Nottingham Forest
Carl Jenkinson has joined Nottingham forest. He wasn’t the greatest talent to play for Arsenal. But he supported the club and lived the dream, joining the Gunners in 2011. That was the transfer window when Arsenal replaced Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona, £35m), Samir Nasri (Man C, £25m), Gael Clichy (Man C, £7m) with Mikel Arteta (Everton, £10m), Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea, free) and Andre Santos (Fenerbahce, £6.2m). It was the season when Arsenal bought players like a desperate lover looking for a last minute gift on the garage forecourt. Arsenal gave up hopes of winning the title. Jenkinson (Charlton, £1m) was part of the era of limited ambition. He got lucky:
In a game gone mad with money and greed, Jenkinson is a hero:
Arsenal : £60m plus Emile Smith Rowe for Upamecano; Mustafi on his way
Having damned Arsenal as “skint”, the Sun now bills them as “DESPERATE” in reaction to the Gunners’ £65m bid of Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano. You may recall when Arsenal had a “derisory” £40m to spend this summer. That was before they lashed out around £100m on Saliba, Pepe and Martinelli. And now there’s very big money move for France’s Upamecano. And they might well get him.
The German side want £90m for their man. But they’re willing to take £60m plus Arsenal tyro Emile Smith Rowe, either on a permanent deal or long loan. The 19-year-old is valued at £20m. He spent part of last season at the Bundesliga side, although injury hampered his performance.
Arsenal should have the money if they can get shot of the irksome Shkodran Mustafi before the European transfer window shuts. Monaco are keen and willing to meet the Gunners’ £27m asking price. The French club can recruit Mustafi up to the September 2 deadline. Arsenal hope that having got shot of Laurent Koscielny to a retirement village in France and with Carl Jenkinson eyeing a move to Notts Forest, that dire defence will finally get the revamp in needs.
Failing that – and the smart money is on Arsenal getting their man – the Gunners will move for Juventus benchwarmer Daniele Rugani. The Italians have rejected Arsenal’s offer the loan deal, preferring to sell the not-all-that-quick Rugani. Arsenal remain keen on Celtic’s Kieran Tierney.
Posted: 7th, August 2019 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Arsenal sell Koscielny to Bordeaux
Arsenal are looking for a new captain following Laurent Koscielny’s transfer to Ligue 1 side Bordeaux for £4.6m.
Koscielny, 33, had a year left on his Arsenal deal and was looking for longer renewed contract. He’d never get it. Injuries and age prevent Arsenal from such a commitment.
The player on his day can rightly claim to be world-class. But those days are rare. And as a captain he’s been indifferent. Arenal hanker for a vocal force on the pitch. Koscielny wasn’t it.
These are exciting times at Arsenal. The club remain interested in Celtic’s Kieran Tierney and will sell Carl Jenkinson, 27, to Championship side Nottingham Forest as soon as feee can be agreed.
Arsenal are also interested in RB Leipzig’s 20-year-old French centre-back Dayot Upamecano and Juventus defender Daniele Rugani.
Transfer Balls: Manchester United sign Mario Mandzukic and keep Pogba; Liverpool in for Adrian
Manchester United will pay £6.2m-a-year for Mario Mandzukic, 33, says the Mail. Juventus want a fee of £15m for the Croatia international – which may be included in a bigger swap deal involving United’s 26-year-old Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku. Napoli also want the striker. Sources for the Mail’s story: none. It sounds like bunkum. Why would united want the ageing Croat?
Better news for United is that Real Madrid have finally made a decision on Pogba: they don’t want him. Spanish papers say to get the ambulatory marketing machine they would need to sell Bale, James and Mariano. They can’t. Real did offer James plus a lot of cash for Pogba. United rejected the deal. So Real will move for Ajax’s 22-year-old Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek.
Liverpool are to replace Simon Mingolet with former West Ham goalkeeper Adrian. Mingolet joined Club Bruges for £6m.
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Posted: 5th, August 2019 | In: Liverpool, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Arsenal in talks to take Coutinho on loan
Arsenal are looking to recruit Barcelona’s former Liverpool player Philippe Coutinho. Surplus to requirements at Barcelona should their pursuit of Neymar bear fruit, Coutinho looked destined to join the soulless fashion brand that is PSG. But here come Arsenal. Can they pull off a transfer coup?
The Gunners play Barcelona in the Nou Camp in the (checks notes) Joan Gamper Trophy tomorrow night. Arsenal transfer guru Raul Sanllehi used to do much the same job at at the Spanish club.
So how much for the £142m man? The Sun says Barcelona are “looking for around £27m from the prospective buyer”. Not as a final transfer fee, surely? A loan fee for a season. Over £2m a month for Coutinho is an absurd sum – even for Arsenal who spend that much on the combined disappointments of Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Can Arsenal shift them and fund a move for the former Liverpool playmaker?
Transfer madness: Manchester United spunk £80m on Harry Maguire
Manchester United have invested £80m on Leicester City’s Harry Maguire. The 26-year-old is now the world’s most expensive defender.
Posted: 2nd, August 2019 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Arsenal get serious : Nicolas Pepe becomes a Gooner for £72m
Rejoicing at Arsenal. The Gunners, described by the Sun as “skint”, have invested a club record fee of £72m for Nicolas Pepe. The 24-year-old is on a five-year contract. And he is a terrific prospect.
“Being here is very emotional,” says Pepe. “I have come a long way and struggled a lot and so signing for this great club is a big reward. It was important to make the right decision and I am convinced that Arsenal is the right choice.”
Last season Arsenal were the only side in the top 6 to concede more shots on goal than they took. But they still scored the league’s third highest total. They created the most quality changes in the league. Pepe shoots on sight. Exciting times at the Emirates…
Talking balls: Manchester United mix up and Arsenal’s Pepe not African
Tip-top reporting from the Daily Star, which manages to illustrate a story on Romelu Lukaku with a pen pic of his Manchester United teammate Paul Pogba. It also hails Arsenal’s new player the “France winger” Nicolas Pepe. He plays for the Ivory Coast, which isn’t in France. S
Oh, and Pogba hasn’t been left out of the United squad in Norway. He’s on the bench:
Such are the facts.
Posted: 30th, July 2019 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Key Posts, manchester united, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Transfer balls: Arsenal ARE selling Mustafi
New to gladden the hearts of all Arsenal fans: Shkodran Mustafi is wanted by Monaco and AC Milan. Arsenal reason the German international is worth €30m. the only downside is that Laurent Koscielny wants to leave the club. however, should the Gunners get a good fee for Mustafi plus the £10m they seek for Koscielny, they’d have the cash to buy a decent replacement. Centre-backs Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Calum Chambers, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Rob Holding would all remain on the books.
Of course, Arsenal are splashing out £72m on Lille winger Nicolas Pepe. So he’s used up all the money, right? No. The Pepe deal involves paying £20m up front for the 22-year-old Ivory Coast international and the other £52m in instalments within five years.
Caster Semenya: a test of biology not gender
Michelle Garcia looks at the fabulous athlete Caster Semenya.
Immediately after that mind-blowing 800-meter final at the 2009 World Championships, some of Semenya’s fellow competitors went for the jugular. Italy’s Elisa Cusma Piccione (sixth place) insisted she was a man. Russia’s Mariya Savinova (fifth place) urged journalists to “just look at her.” Other athletes whispered, stared, and laughed at her. Then came the IAAF.
Initially, the questions about her drastic improvement were linked to suspicions of doping. When those tests came back negative, she was subjected to rounds of gender testing, reportedly involving analysis by an endocrinologist, a psychologist, a gender expert, an internist; most humiliating was a gynecological exam that included photographing her genitals while her feet were in stirrups. Eventually she was cleared to compete on the international circuit again but not before she missed nearly a year of competition during the IAAF’s deliberation over her test results. The dirty secret here is that gender testing is common for women athletes — and yes, only women athletes.
Jason Kottke says Semenya is a hit by sexism, racism, bureaucracy. I’d say that everyone deserves a level playing field. Sport is all about rules. In 2015, the Court of Arbitration for Sport stopped the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rule that females with ‘male levels’ of testosterone could not take part in in women’s races. Before that Semenya was impelled to take testosterone suppressants. The thinking is clear: testosterone is an indicator of performance. So what of transgender athletes? David Walsh notes: “To ensure fairness we need to define what is male and what is female. It can’t be down to a person’s preference.”
Semenya is doing the best with what nature gave her. And her best is exceptional. But the need is for her to be classified as male or female for the purpose of athletic competitions. Semenya is intersex: she possesses XY chromosomes but a body that appears female. And in her chosen sport, that might give her an advantage. An unfair one? What about having longer legs in the high jump or bigger feet in the swimming pool? Which genetic advantages are acceptable and which are not? And who gets to decide?
Arsenal Transfer Balls: Pepe arrives, Rugani on loan and Tierney ready to sign
Arsenal have recruited Nicolas Pépé – just the medical to pass – and are looking for more recruits. Pitched at 50-1 to win he Premier League, the Gunners are desperately in need of new faces. With Pepe, their forward line looks formidable. But that defence…
“There are different players on the table with the possibility we can achieve their signature,” says manager Unai Emery in what could be his last season at the club if Arsenal fail to achieve Champions League football. “We are only thinking about people who can really, really improve this squad. We will only look at men who can really strengthen a position. One centre-back, one full-back and one winger.
Metro says the centre-back will be is Daniele Rugani from Juventus on a season-long loan. Kieran Tierney is scheduled to arrive from Celtic. He’s greed personal terms and the two clubs are very close to a deal.
Now to get shot of Mustafi, Jenkinson and Elneny. Any takers?
London Tube hero defeats moronic Chelsea fan – video
Who is the hero who helped the moronic Chelsea fan leave the Tube train? And what is it with Chelsea fans and behaving badly on trains?
Posted: 29th, July 2019 | In: Chelsea, Key Posts, News, Sports | Comment
Transfer News: Liverpool sign Elliott, Arsenal sell winger, Dybala doesn’t want Spurs move
Liverpool have signed Harvey Elliott from Fulham. He’s 16, wears his hair in a bun and boasts the record of becoming the youngest player to feature in the Premier League when at at the age of 16 years and 30 days old he played against Wolves.
Big clubs are chasing youth.
Xavier Amaechi has left Arsenal for £2.25m. The 18-year-old has joined Hamburg on a four-year contract. The hope is that these young players go on to command very high transfer fees. If Harry Maguire can be worth £80m to Manchester United – the fee his current club Leicester City are asking for the defender – the sky’s the limit.
Manchester United are spending big and have agreed a £65m deal for Sporting Lisbon’s Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes, 24. And money is scheduled to come in: noises from Spain indicate that Real Madrid or Juventus are to offer £150m move for Manchester United and France midfielder Paul Pogba, 26. United also fancy Lyon’s Moussa Dembélé if Romelu Lukaku joins Internazionale and view Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as replacement for Pogba.
Even Spurs have £80m for Argentina forward Paulo Dybala, 25. But he wants to stay at Juventus.
Posted: 28th, July 2019 | In: Arsenal, Liverpool, manchester united, Sports, Spurs | Comment
Arsenal bid £72m for Pepe; Zaha also in line; Aubameyang to Manchester United
Arsenal have offered Lille £72m for the brilliant winger Nicolas Pépé. Noises from France and the BBC say the deal is almost done.
If the France-born Ivorian arrives, talk is of the Gunners being open to offers for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Manchester United are keen on the 30-year-old striker with two years to go on his current Gunners deal.
The Arsenal policy is for any player with two years left on their deal to be offered fresh terms. If they refuse, they are put up for sale. Should Aubameyang extend his current deal and Pepe arrive, the Gunners will boast a lightning quick attack. And there’s more…
To make way for a fresh bid for Crystal Palace star Wilf Zaha, Arsenal are looking to sell Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who also has two years left on his current deal.
Others being shunted towards the exit are Mesut Ozil and Shkodran Mustafi. Ozil would be a huge miss – on his day he’s fabulous. But Mustafi might just be the worst signing Arsenal have ever made.
PS: told you Arsenal had loads more money than the £40m transfer kitty all the mainstream media said they had.
Transfer balls: Spurs will get nothing for Alderweireld; Manchester United wait
Transfer Balls: No club bid the £25m that would have triggered Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld’s transfer from Spurs. The Sun reasons that because the deadline for that “bargain of the summer” (Telegraph) expires at midnight tonight, the Belgian’s value “has increased dramatically”. Alderweireld is now in the final year of his contract with Spurs. In June 2020 he can leave for free and pocket all that extra cash in a signing-on bonus and wages. The player has already rejected a long-term deal to remain at Spurs. He’s 30. The next move will be his last chance to maximise his earnings.
The Sun thinks he’s now worth, well, what: £50m? £70m? More? Alderweireld earns around £80,000 per week at Spurs. He can earn much more than that a top club. And with no transfer fee, he’ll surely get it. 442 reasons “the club will be delighted” that their “Rolls Royce” of a player hasn’t left for a low sum of £25m – low given that Aston Villa paid over £20m for Bournemouth lummox Tyrone Mings.
Manchester United wanted him last year but cooled their interest. Roma wanted him this summer but thought the £25m fee too high. So Spurs are stuck with an ageing player in the final year of his contract. Where’s the win?
Posted: 26th, July 2019 | In: Back pages, manchester united, Sports, Spurs | Comment
Transfer balls: Chelsea may not outbid Everton for Arsenal fan Zaha
Chelsea are “plotting” to invest £60m in Wilfred Zaha. Arsenal and Everton have been quoted £80m for the Crystal Palace player. But the Sun says so long as Zaha is prepared to wait a year, once their transfer ban is spent they will offer £60m for him next summer. As “plots” go that ones replete with all the cunning of Jeremy Corbyn’s prized marrow.
The Telegraph adds: “Exclusive: Everton want Wilfried Zaha and are willing to pay £60m plus Cenk Tosun but fear missing out to Chelsea.” Not a word on missing out to Arsenal, the club Zaha wants to play for now. The story is utter bunkum. Get this: “With Arsenal currently struggling to come up with the funds to match Palace’s £80m valuation, Chelsea may see an opportunity to offer a deal that could suit all parties.” Or they may not.
Posted: 26th, July 2019 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Chelsea, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Zaha to Everton, Everton to Arsenal, Dyabla to Spurs
Everton fans must be thrilled. With £80m to spend on new talent, the Toffees are after Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha – the player who supports the Arsenal, loves the Arsenal and wants to play for the Arsenal. Compared to the £80m Manchester United want to spunk on Harry Maguire, Zaha for the same fee looks like good value.
One other issue for Everton is that their midfield tyro Idrissa Gueye is off to Paris Saint-Germain for around £30m.
As Arsenal faff about and hope Palace get desperate as the August 8 transfer deadline approaches and sell Zaha to them for some buttons, promises and a Carl Jenkinson – or buy Brazil’s Everton for £30m – Spurs make plans. Like Manchester United and Bayern Munich, they’re after Paulo Dybala, the Juventus striker. And like Maguire and Zaha, he too is in the draw marked ‘£80m’.
Meanwhile, back on planet earth away from hot football flesh, it’s boiling.
Posted: 25th, July 2019 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, manchester united, Sports, Spurs | Comment
Transfer balls: Bale sale kickstarts Pogba leaving Manchester United and Spurs getting Lo Celso
Gareth Bale’s people say Real Madrid have disrespected their cash cow. Chinese clubs Beijing Guoan, Jiangsu Suning and Shanghai Shenhua say Bale would get private jets full of respect should he choose to pull on any one of their club’s colours. And if playing for the badge isn’t enough, Bale can also get a £20m golden hello and £1m a week after tax. Not too shabby, then, for the high-achieving Real benchwarmer .
Bale’s leaving Real would allow Real to recruit the marketing machine that is Paul Pogba. Manchester United will then spend the £150m they’ll get for Pogba on Juventus striker Paulo Dybala, Spurs’ midfielder Christian Eriksen and Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic.
Spurs will use the Eriksen cash to buy Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon and Real Betis midfielder Giovani lo Celso. Or maybe Bale will take cut in wages and play for PSG?
Posted: 23rd, July 2019 | In: manchester united, Sports, Spurs | Comment
Arsenal Transfer News: Zaha for £65m plus one Jenkinson and a sexy car
Crystal Palace think Wilfried Zaha is worth £80m? Is he? Arsenal think he’s worth £55m plus £10m in add ons should they win the league (10-1) or Mustafi mishit a pass that lands on the moon (7-1). For a player who flopped the last time he left Palace, £80m could look like a huge risk – Zaha transferred to Manchester United in 2013 only to return to Palace in 2015. A player happy to be the star at one lower mid-table club might not shine at a club with loftier ambitions and a more demanding fanbase.
But Zaha has improved. And of that time at Manchester, where he played under the limited David Moyes, Zaha offered:
…Moyes took issue with the way he dressed and even the car he drove. Zaha felt further let down by the club’s failure to shut down false rumours he was sleeping with Moyes’ daughter and that his absence was due to an attitude problem. He remembers being ‘belittled’ in training by one United coach after scoring. On another occasion he was shown a video of himself in tricky winger mode for Palace and was asked how he could recapture that form, having already been told by Moyes to cut out the fancy footwork. ‘You see the mind games they were playing?’ a bewildered Zaha asks. ‘But when he took me out of the Champions League squad and put in Adnan Januzaj, who had never played for the first team, I knew then that this is way bigger than I ever thought and had gone way beyond footballing reasons,’ he says. ‘When it was not about football or ability, what could I do?’
“There were rumours that the reason I wasn’t playing [many games] for United was because I slept with [then manager] David Moyes’s daughter, and no one [at the club] attempted to clear that up.
“So I was fighting my demons by myself, these rumours that I knew weren’t true. I was dealing with this at 19; living in Manchester by myself, nowhere near anyone else, because the club had a hold over where I lived. They hadn’t given me a car, like every other player [had]. Nothing. I’m living in this hell by myself, away from my family, and I thought, ‘If this doesn’t make me stronger, what will’?”
He’s stronger now with oodles of charisma. How Arsenal need him…
Posted: 22nd, July 2019 | In: Arsenal, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Arsenal balls: terrible captain Laurent Koscielny agrees to play for Rennes
So farewell, Laurent Koscielny, the most mute Arsenal captain in recent decades. A fine player – one who in his pomp who could claim to be world class. But he was a poor captain.
Having gone on strike because at 33 years old he wanted longer than the year-long contract Arsenal were offering, the ageing, non-expressive, charisma-free Frenchman has agreed personal terms with Rennes, reportedly. Arsenal now need to get shot of him. Shut the door on the way out. The post-Wenger revolution has finally begun.
Transfer balls: £60m is more than £65m as Spurs beat Manchester United to Giovani Lo Celso
Transfer Balls hears the rumours that Spurs want to sign Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso. The tabloids are confused as to his value and what Spurs are willing to pay:
“Tottenham are refusing to pay £60million for Real Betis’ Giovani Lo Celso” – The Sun
“Spurs are set to smash their transfer record for a second time this summer as they finally step up their interest in £70million-rated midfielder Giovani Lo Celso” – Daily Mirror
The Mirror says Spurs are “desperate to land Lo Celso after shattering Tottenham’s transfer record to sign Tanguy Ndombele for £65million”. But the Sun says they’re not all that desperate for the player who flopped at PSG and won’t pay over £60m.
The tabloids don’t have the foggiest. The Mirror (prop. Reach plc) says Spurs will get their man – it’s a sure thing. But Football.London (prop Reach plc) says Lo Celso could be off to Manchester United.
Such are the fatcs.
Posted: 19th, July 2019 | In: Back pages, manchester united, Sports, Spurs | Comment
Transfer balls: Zaha to Everton clickbait or slowly to Arsenal
The Liverpool Echo says there is an increased chance of Wilf Zaha joining Everton. There is also an increased chance of Zaha joining Wrexham or your local pub side. The Echo’s story is based on news that the player has told Crystal Palace he wants to leave the club. And if your side has anything from £80m (BBC) to £120m (Sun) lying about the place, they can buy him. So the Liverpool Echo seduces Everton fans with a headline based on a muon of truth.
Sky Sports says Arsenal, who’ve already seen a £40m bid for Zaha fail, are “expected to raise their offer in the coming days”. To what sum is unknown, but rumours are that they’re holding a car boot sale next Sunday and Carl Jenkinson, Calum Chambers, Mo Elneny and that bloke who used to walk about the North bank shouting ”Eanuts” are being pushed into the hatchback.
Posted: 19th, July 2019 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: The Arsenal ‘ace’ to replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka might be a joker
Transfer Balls likes to spot clickbait – and the Daily Star’s news that an Arsenal “ace” is to replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka at Crystal Palace is a cracker. Wan-Bissaka is now at Manchester United, which means Palace are in search of a replacement right-back. Step forward the “Arsenal ace”. No, not Hector Bellerin. It’s Carl Jenkinson – the same Carl Jenskinson who was hooked off at half-time when Arsenal last played Palace, having made “the sort of errors you would not expect to see in the third or fourth tier”.
Maybe the “ace” can be worth the £40 million Arenal need to take Wilfried Zaha from Palace to Arsenal? Maybe. The Sun says, “Eagles boss Roy Hodgson has always been a fan of the defender and even gave him his England debut against Sweden in 2012.” It might happen…
Posted: 18th, July 2019 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
Spurs balls: Kieran Tripper thanks San Antonio Spurs for making it all possible
Spurs defender Kieran Tripper hailed his transfer to the Atletico Madrid bench by thanking Spurs for making it all possible – that’s NBA team San Antonio Spurs. On Instagram, San Antonio Spurs are the real @Spurs; Tottenham Hotspur are the less concise @spursofficial. Trippier made the obvious error.
Poor old Tottenham. All that money spent on a new stadium and an NFL deal in pursuit of becoming a global brand and everyone in the USA – and even their own players – think they’re basketball team.
Go Spurs. Yay!
