Lauren James WILL be free for Fifa World Cup final after ban confirmed August 10, 2023 England player Lauren James will be available for selection in the Fifa Women’s World Cup final – should the Lionesses get there – after the sport’s governing body banned her for two games. The two-match sidelining comes after the Chelsea player stamped on the back of Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie in England’s round of 16 match. [...]
Trevor Steven: City favourites for Premier League, Liverpool for top four and Luton relegated August 9, 2023 Morning Wire football columnist Trevor Steven previews the 2023-24 Premier League season and discusses who will lift the trophy, who will earn Champions League football and who will face relegation. Saudi Arabia’s spending spree to attract a host of big name players to its domestic league has grabbed the headlines this summer, and it’s certainly [...]
Scrapping Premier League relegation on table after flood of new private equity August 3, 2023 Private equity buyers flooding into Premier League and European football are likely to want more of a say over the rules of the game, top lawyers have told Morning Wire, including the potential introduction of ‘closed leagues’ without promotion or relegation. The value of deals in Europe’s top five leagues – England, France, Germany, Italy [...]
Chelsea and Arsenal overtake Man Utd as top producers of Premier League players July 26, 2023 Chelsea and Arsenal were the leading producers of Premier League players in the 2022-23 season, according to a new study. The two clubs’ academy products each racked up just over 21,000 minutes of playing time but remarkably were separated by just 37 seconds, with Chelsea edging top spot. Manchester United – leaders in every previous [...]
Chelsea land deal boosts Stamford Bridge revamp prospects July 19, 2023 Chelsea have boosted their prospects of redeveloping Stamford Bridge after winning the race to buy adjacent land. The Blues are keen to play at a bigger home and are exploring the possibility of expanding their current stadium, which holds 40,000 fans. The club saw off 12 other bids to agree a deal for a 1.2 [...]
Chelsea fans’ group hail supporter power after Stake.com sponsorship deal axed July 6, 2023 The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust has welcomed suggestions that the Premier League football club has shelved a possible sponsorship deal with crypto betting platform Stake.com. Chelsea had been in talks to make Stake.com their new front-of-shirt sponsor for next season, replacing mobile network Three, which chose not to renew its £40m-a-year contract. The news provoked a [...]
Manchester United confirm the signing of Mason Mount from Chelsea July 5, 2023 Premier League club Manchester United have today confirmed the signing of midfielder Mason Mount from Chelsea. The 24-year-old will head north from London to Old Trafford and join Erik ten Hag and United as the look to close the gap towards city rivals Manchester City. The deal is understood to be worth £55m plus £5m [...]
Uefa outlaw long contract transfer loophole exploited by Chelsea June 29, 2023 Chelsea and other clubs will no longer be able to exploit a transfer loophole by handing new signings long contracts after Uefa outlawed the practice. Eight of Chelsea’s most recent signings, including Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and new arrival Christopher Nkunku joined on extra-long contracts, some lasting until 2031. The strategy helped the Blues to [...]
Chelsea owners caught in backlash over investment in French club Strasbourg June 22, 2023 Chelsea and co-owner Todd Boehly are facing a backlash from Strasbourg supporters as they close in on a deal to buy a large minority stake in the French football club. Confirmation is said to be imminent that the Blues have acquired a shareholding of around 40 per cent in the team from Alsace. Strasbourg would [...]