Bruno Fernandes has revealed that conversations with his "supportive" wife Ana Pinho convinced him to reject Al-Hilal and stay at Manchester United.
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Fernandes on "supportive" wife conversationsTurned down lucrative Al-Hilal moveStays at Manchester United as captainFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The United captain had been offered £200m in salary over three years and the Saudi club were prepared to shell out a £100m transfer fee to land him, but he opted to stay put in the Premier League. He has since revealed that support from those closest to him was a big part of the decision.
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Fernandes said: "It was a very ambitious proposal. The president was a fantastic person. We never discussed the amount – with my agent, of course. Then I spoke to my wife and family and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career. She is someone who always supported me a lot. It was an easy move, even at a family level. I had Joao Cancelo there, my children are used to playing with him in the national team. We have a great friendship. But I want to maintain myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions. And I feel capable of it."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Fernandes is set to feature alongside United's new signing Matheus Cunha at Old Trafford next season, after the Brazilian completed a £62.5m move from Wolves. Brentford attacker Bryan Mbeumo is expected to be the next through the door.
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Fernandes is set to feature for Portugal in Wednesday's Nations League semi-final tie against Germany, with a huge clash against either Spain or France on the cards in the final if they win.
At one stage this Premier League season, Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea looked like genuine title challengers hot on the heels of Liverpool.
Now, however, the Blues look shaky gripping onto fourth spot in the unforgiving league, with an unwelcome eighth defeat of the season greeting them come full-time away at Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
Cole Palmer’s complete absence from the squad did make Chelsea’s task of picking up a win on the road a lot harder, but there were still far too many underperformers that let the team down on the day, regardless of the England international sitting the contest out.
Chelsea's biggest underperformers vs Arsenal
Starting in goal, current number one Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez had a particularly shaky time of things on Sunday afternoon.
Before Mikel Merino gifted the hosts a 1-0 lead, Sanchez’s rash play out from the back nearly resulted in Gabriel Martinelli firing home, with the 27-year-old inexplicably kicking it straight to the Brazilian forward.
He arguably could have done better too when Arsenal’s man of the moment looped this header over Sanchez, but there were other underperformers who also struggled at the Emirates away from the ex-Brighton and Hove Albion ‘keeper in isolation.
Indeed, both Jadon Sancho and Christopher Nkunku offered very little down the flanks as the pair failed to muster up a single on-target effort, further reinforcing Palmer’s absence.
But, there was another attacker away from the out-of-sorts duo that struggled to leave his mark on the contest, having tallied up fewer touches than Sanchez across the course of his forgettable 90 minutes.
Maresca must forget 35-touch Chelsea dud after Arsenal
Not many players from a Chelsea perspective trudged off the Emirates turf happy with their individual efforts, with Maresca branding the overall showing as “frustrating” at the close of the game.
That would be an apt word to describe Pedro Neto’s away day too, with the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker showing bursts of quality here and there, only to then fall flat for the visitors at the final moment. Handed a 5/10 player rating by the Sun, they suggested he was ‘always up against it as a false 9’ but was far too easily ‘outmuscled by Arsenal’s defenders’.
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
35
Accurate passes
15/17 (88%)
Shots on goal
3
On-target shots
0
Possession lost
12x
Successful dribbles
0/2
Accurate crosses
1/6
Total duels won
1/7
The table above makes for some pretty grim reading from Neto’s point of view, with his accumulation of 35 touches coming in at six fewer than Sanchez’s at 41, with no successful dribbles and no shots on target not exactly causing the Gunners’ defence much bother when he ventured forward.
Moreover, just one accurate cross being tallied up all game shows how poor the former Wolves’ man end product was in North London, on top of just one duel being won showing off his lack of fight whenever he became a passenger to the play unfolding.
Pedro-Neto-Chelsea
Whilst he does boast five goals and six assists in all competitions this season away from this no-show at Arsenal, Maresca could now axe Neto as his lone striker option for contests to follow even as Nicolas Jackson remains sidelined.
The ex-Leicester City boss might well fancy throwing Nkunku into this role instead having got seven goals out of the Frenchman up top this campaign, or Cole Palmer would surely be a worthy option as a false 9 once he’s fit again.
Despite some positives falling into Maresca’s lap this campaign, his side still find themselves short of being an elite team in the top flight, with more defeats piling up down the line potentially damaging their ongoing top-four chances.
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Manchester City are a club that is not used to making mistakes or falling short across all competitions in the way that they have done under Pep Guardiola this season.
The Cityzens won the last four Premier League titles and won the treble – the Premier League, the Champions League, and the FA Cup – in the 2022/23 campaign.
This season, however, City are 20 points behind Liverpool with 12 games left to play in the top-flight and they have already been knocked out of the League Cup and the Champions League.
As aforementioned, Manchester City are not used to making recruitment errors but some of their decisions in the last few transfer windows should be questioned, going back to when they decided to cash in on Cole Palmer in the summer of 2023.
Chelsea's Cole Palmer with manager EnzoMarescaafter being substituted
Chelsea swooped in to sign the Cityzens academy graduate for a reported fee of £40m, with £2.5m in add-ons, ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, and he has gone on to become a star in the Premier League.
Manchester City's Cole Palmer mistake
The England international’s soaring market value and incredible form on the pitch in the top-flight suggests that City and Guardiola made a big mistake when they allowed him to move on from the club.
At the time of writing, Palmer is currently valued at a whopping €130m (£108m) by Transfermarkt, which is significantly more than the initial £40m the Sky Blues raked in for him around 18 months ago.
Phil Foden (Man City)
£116m
Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
£108m
Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)
£54m
Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen)
£41m
Jamie Gittens (Borussia Dortmund)
£41m
Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
£33m
Romeo Lavia (Chelsea)
£33m
Rico Lewis (Man City)
£33m
As you can see in the table above, the Chelsea star is the second-most valuable former Manchester City academy graduate actively playing, only behind current Cityzens star Phil Foden.
Interestingly, Lewis and Foden are the only two of the eight most-valuable graduates who are still at the club, which suggests that City have fumbled several supreme young talents.
Palmer’s form for Chelsea may be particularly frustrating for the club, though, as he has starred in the Premier League, whereas the likes of Gittens and Frimpong are currently playing in the Bundesliga.
The English magician has racked up a staggering 39 goals and 21 assists in 74 appearances for Chelsea as an attacking midfielder, which shows that he has the quality to make a huge impact at the top end of the pitch on a consistent basis.
Cole Palmer in action for Chelsea
City’s decision to sell Palmer was a big mistake, given his incredible output for the Blues, and that opinion is further validated by his form in comparison to Foden this term.
Phil Foden's declining form
The two Manchester City academy graduates won the top awards in the Premier League in the 2023/24 campaign. Palmer won the PFA Young Player of the Year trophy and Foden was named the PFA Player of the Year.
City’s number 47 enjoyed a terrific season as he ended the year with an exceptional return of 19 goals and eight assists in the Premier League, which led to his peers voting him as the best player in the division.
Unfortunately, Foden has been unable to maintain that impressive form heading into the current campaign and has been outperformed by Palmer in the top-flight.
Appearances
26
21
Goals
14
7
Big chances created
19
7
Assists
6
2
Key passes per game
2.7
1.8
As you can see in the table above, the Chelsea wizard has significantly outperformed his former teammate as both a scorer and a creator of goals, further illustrating the error City made by cashing in on him in 2023.
This suggests that Guardiola would have had an even bigger talent on his hands if he had not green-lit the academy graduate’s move to Stamford Bridge in 2023.
Where Are They Now
Palmer, however, is not the only former Manchester City star who is outperforming Foden this season, as Guardiola appears to have repeated the mistake he made with the left-footed ace with the sale of Julian Alvarez last year.
Julian Alvarez's form this season
The Argentina international moved on from The Etihad last summer when Atletico Madrid swooped in to secure his services for a reported fee of £82m, which was – at the very least – a significant fee in comparison to Palmer’s £40m move to Chelsea.
Alvarez was an important player for City, though, and was described as “almost undroppable” by Guardiola in the 2023/24 campaign, in which the forward racked up 19 goals and 13 assists in all competitions.
They seemingly decided that they would be fine without his considerable contributions in the final third, however, as they allowed him to leave and did not sign a direct replacement for him last summer.
The decision to move on from Alvarez was a repeat of their Palmer blunder because he has been in fantastic form for Atletico Madrid this season and has, as the Chelsea star also has, outperformed Foden.
Starts
20
8
xG
7.44
2.19
Goals
9
6
Minutes per goal
186
97
Big chances created
5
2
Assists
2
1
As you can see in the table above, the 25-year-old sensation has caught the eye as a ruthless finisher, outperforming against his xG, in LaLiga and the Champions League for the Spanish giants this term.
He has racked up 23 direct goal contributions (19 goals and four assists) in all competitions for Atletico, which is eight more than Foden (ten goals and five assists) has managed for City this term.
Therefore, Alvarez has outperformed Foden at the top end of the pitch this season and he could have stepped up as a key player once again for City if they had not moved on from him last summer.
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2 ByDan Emery Feb 24, 2025
Guardiola repeated his Palmer mistake by deciding to cash in on a fantastic player who could have starred for Manchester City if they had remained at The Etihad, instead of being ruthlessly ditched, and that is why the manager should regret moving on from Alvarez.
Ben White appears to have confirmed that he is "available" to play for England after a conversation with new boss Thomas Tuchel.
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Arsenal defender was unavailable under SouthgateAppeared to fall out with Steve HollandWhite willing to don the shirt againFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
White made himself unavailable for selection while Gareth Southgate was in charge, after leaving the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for "personal reasons" after a clash with assistant coach Steve Holland. Now, though, the Arsenal defender says he has spoken to new boss Thomas Tuchel, and is willing to play for his country once again.
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White has won four caps for the Three Lions, playing in friendlies against Austria and Romania in 2021, and versus Switzerland and the Ivory Coast in 2022. He was an unused substitute in the opening two games of the 2022 World Cup, against Iran and the United States.
WHAT BEN WHITE SAID
The 27-year-old has battled back from injury and said, per : “I’m definitely available.
“I spoke to him a few times. He’s such a nice, nice man — very honest. I haven’t been back for too long.
“So it’s just about playing now and hopefully making my way back in.”
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?
Tuchel will name his England squad on Friday for next month's World Cup qualifier against Andorra. There is then a friendly against Senegal.
Zaka Ashraf is expected to make a comeback as head of cricket in the country
Umar Farooq22-Jun-2023The election for the next PCB chairman will be held on June 27, with Zaka Ashraf expected to make a comeback as head of cricket in the country.In a press release, Ahmed Shehzad Farooq Rana, the PCB election commissioner and acting chairman, said: “The election of the PCB Chair will be held in a fair and transparent manner whilst adopting due process and ensuring completion of all legal formalities… on Tuesday, 27 June, at the PCB headquarters in Lahore. The election schedule will be issued after receiving nominations from the departments/service organisations.”The PCB’s board will comprise ten members: four regional representatives, four representatives of services organisations and the two members nominated by the patron/prime minister. All board members, including the chairman, will be appointed for three years.Related
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Earlier this week, Ashraf, along with Supreme Court lawyer Mustafa Ramday, joined the board after being nominated by the prime minister. In Pakistan, a prime minister appointee usually goes on to become the board chairman.This follows Najam Sethi, who was heading the interim management committee that ran the PCB till June 20, withdrawing from the race to become the chairman. The Sethi-led management committee was given the mandate to revive the 2014 PCB constitution and form the board of governors after Ramiz Raja was removed as chairman and the 2019 constitution was scrapped.However, Sethi’s list of nominees for the board stirred a legal complication as four regions – Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Rawalpindi – were named out of the rotation.In the press release, Rana rejected Sethi’s nominations and replaced them with representatives of Larkana, Dera Murad Jamali, Bahawalpur and Hyderabad. The four departments included are National Bank of Pakistan, State Bank of Pakistan, Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited and Sui Southern Gas Company.It was Sethi who had ended Ashraf’s first stint as PCB chairman in 2014. At that time, the pair was involved in a legal battle for the chairmanship, with the position switching hands several times. Eventually, then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif settled the issue by ousting Ashraf and bringing in Sethi.
Rashford has been on loan at Aston Villa and faces an uncertain summer with seemingly little chance of returning to Old Trafford.
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Rashford linked with Barcelona moveEngland forward has done well at VillaGary Pallister says he can restore former valuationFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Manchester United legend Gary Pallister has backed Marcus Rashford to become a player worth £100m again but admitted the England forward may not get a move to Barcelona because of the La Liga giants' financial issues.
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Rashford made the loan switch to Villa in January after confirming his desire to leave United and try something different. He has scored four goals and supplied five assists for Unai Emery's side since, though he hasn't played in almost a month due to a hamstring problem. The 27-year-old also has a reported interest in joining Barcelona, though there are concerns his considerable £350,000-a-week wages could block any potential summer move from materialising.
WHAT PALLISTER SAID
Pallister told William Hill: "Barcelona is a great football club, they are a top team for any player. They have had financial problems, so they may find it difficult to sign Rashford in the summer. But it will also depend on whether Aston Villa decide to buy him permanently.
"He was a £100m player a few years ago, so his valuation has dropped a lot. But there is a player in there, and if he can return to that form, he can go back to being worth that amount."
DID YOU KNOW?
Rashford's current contract with United isn't due to expire until 2028 and the Red Devils would be keen to sell the England international if possible, with INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe undertaking a number of unpopular cost-cutting measures since arriving at Old Trafford.
MCC criticised for hosting annual Eton-Harrow fixture but solitary women’s ODI since 2017
Matt Roller26-Jun-2023The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) were “alarmed” by the “truly appalling” fact that England Women have never played a Test match at Lord’s, making the damning assertion that: “The ‘home of cricket’ is still a home principally for men.”In a 317-page report published on Tuesday, the ICEC highlighted the “public function” of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the private members’ club which owns Lord’s and said that recent decisions made by the club’s members have sent “a very public signal about the club’s values”.Specifically, the ICEC recommended to MCC that the annual Eton-Harrow and Oxford-Cambridge fixtures should no longer be staged at Lord’s after 2023, and that they should be replaced by a national Under-15 state school finals’ day for boys and girls, and a national university finals’ day for men’s and women’s teams.”We respect and value many of the traditions of cricket generally, and Lord’s in particular, but not all,” the commission wrote in its report. “Some no longer have a place in contemporary Britain.”Guaranteeing a tiny number of schoolboys the right to play at Lord’s every year when millions of children are denied that right is completely unacceptable. So too is the fact that the schoolboys of two expensive and elite institutions get to play at Lord’s every year when the England Women’s national team have yet to play a Test Match there.”The Oxford and Cambridge match has also had its time and should no longer be played at Lord’s. It sends a similar message of elitism, entrenching the position of certain institutions to which only a small minority of school pupils will gain access.”Related
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England Women have played at Lord’s only once in any format since they won the 2017 World Cup final there six years ago – though are due to return on July 8 for the third T20I of the ongoing Ashes series.England Men, by contrast, have played two Tests and at least one limited-overs international at Lord’s every year since 2000 – except for the pandemic-affected 2020 summer.Richard Thompson, ECB chair, told BBC Radio 4’s programme: “That’s unacceptable, and we’re going to ensure that there will be a Test match by the England Women in 2026 – and that should have happened sooner. So that has been addressed and will be addressed in 2026 when we also host the Women’s T20 World Cup which is a real moment for women’s sport in this country. Clearly, we hope that will be a celebration of cricket.”The commission highlighted the successful attempt by MCC members to challenge the decision of the club’s committee to move the “historic fixtures” away from Lord’s as “an illustration… of the obstacles placed in the way of those seeking to modernise the game”.It added: “MCC may be a private members’ club, in which some members may resent ‘interference’ with their right to make their own decisions, but it is also a club that benefits from substantial amounts of money from the general public through ticket sales for major matches, with all the accompanying publicity and prestige.”Those who argue for the continuation of the Historic Fixtures do not seem to understand the damage they are doing to the reputation of MCC and Lord’s in the public imagination – compounding a view, whether fair or not, that MCC members are out of touch, elitist and unrepresentative of both the wider population and those who play cricket.”As the game strives to become more inclusive, as it clearly must, decisions such as these at ‘the home of cricket’ do more harm than some people appear to realise.”Lord’s was also singled out as the only major venue in the country that does not permit the use of musical instruments, which the commission gave as an example of “ways in which authorities have sought to sanitise the atmosphere at grounds”, saying the ban “had a disproportionate impact on ethnically diverse communities, particularly those from Caribbean communities”.In a statement, the MCC Chief Executive & Secretary, Guy Lavender said: “Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) received the report published by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) earlier today. We recognise that it will make very difficult reading for everyone involved in cricket in this country. This is a vitally important piece of work and all stakeholders in the game must now reflect on the contents of the report.”MCC is named in the report and we will be analysing the findings in detail. We are committed to playing our part in ensuring cricket is the most inclusive sport in this country and that Lord’s is a place where everyone feels welcome.”
Super Giants are quite well placed despite their recent losses, while Sunrisers are at No. 9 but very much in the race too
ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2023Sunrisers Hyderabad – #9 Sunrisers Hyderabad are the only team to have played fewer than 11 matches so far – they have played only ten, while five teams have already played 12. That means the last week will be the busiest for them, but it also means they have the best chance of making up lost ground, for they could still potentially double their current points tally of eight.If SRH do win each of their last four matches and finish on 16, they will give themselves a great chance of qualification. It could still come down to net run-rate as five teams could potentially end up on 16 or more, but SRH will very much be in the mix.If they lose this one, though, they will be at the mercy of several other results going their way, for as many as six teams, excluding SRH, can reach 16.The other disadvantage for SRH is their home record: one win in five games this season. They have done better in away matches – three wins out of five – but their remaining away games are against teams which have pretty good home records this season: Mumbai Indians (four out of six) and Gujarat Titans (three out of six).Lucknow Super Giants – #5 Lucknow Super Giants have lost their way after a relatively strong start, collecting only three points from their last five games. However, they are still in charge of their own destiny: three wins in three games will take them to 17 points and assure them of qualification.One loss, however, will put them in tricky territory, as up to five teams can finish on 16 or more points. For that to happen, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings will have to win all their matches; so if LSG don’t maximise the points from their remaining games, they will have to hope that other teams slip up.Curiously, LSG can even make it to the top four with 13 points, but for that to happen, Titans, Chennai Super Kings and MI will have to win most of their games so that the other teams are stuck on 12 or fewer points.
Sevilla’s Loic Bade is holding out for a move to Inter, rejecting offers from Bayer Leverkusen and Bournemouth as he awaits a defensive spot to open.
Bade prioritises Inter over all offersUnder contract with Sevilla until June 202925-year-old key defensive target for NerazzurriFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
According to , Bade has made it clear that Inter is his preferred destination this summer. Despite concrete offers from Leverkusen and interest from Bournemouth and Borussia Dortmund, the Sevilla defender is prepared to wait for the Nerazzurri club to make their move. Inter, however, need to offload a defender before they can finalise the transfer.
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The Frenchman remains one of Europe’s most in-demand defenders, valued at €30 million (£26m/$33m) by Sevilla and tied to a contract until 2029. His combination of composure, aerial strength, and ball-playing ability has caught the attention of top clubs. While Erik ten Hag's team are pushing hard, and Dortmund have joined the race, Inter’s interest has taken priority for the Frenchman. However, a delay from the Serie A side could force him to reconsider other options.
TELL ME MORE…
The 25-year-old has been instrumental for Los Nervionenses, showcasing leadership and defensive stability. Piero Ausilio, Inter’s sporting director, has personally requested Bade's camp to stall negotiations with other clubs until Inter can clear squad space, reports .
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Inter must act quickly, a defensive sale will need to be finalised before any move for Bade can happen. Sevilla, meanwhile, will hold firm on their €30m valuation. If Inter delay too long, Leverkusen could pounce and seal the deal.
Chelsea are now ready to make an opening offer for Palmeiras forward Allan, but there could be competition for his signature from two of the world’s biggest clubs.
The Blues have already added one young Brazilian forward to their ranks in recent times, with Estevao emerging as a first-team regular this season, and the 18-year-old got off the mark in front of goal in the 2-1 victory against Liverpool last month.
With the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens also on the books, Enzo Maresca already has plenty of exciting youngsters at his disposal in attacking areas, and the west Londoners have now started running the rule over forwards with more top-level experience.
Maresca’s side are now ready to launch a January move for Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr, amid tensions with manager Xabi Alonso, although a deal could be on the expensive side, considering he is regarded as one of the best wingers in the world.
Chelsea ready to bid for Palmeiras forward Allan
Vinicius is not the only Brazilian forward Chelsea are looking to sign, however, with a report from Spain revealing BlueCo are also ready to bid for Palmeiras’ Allan, but there could be competition for his signature from Manchester United and Real Madrid.
The 21-year-old is protected by a release clause of nearly €100m (£88m), and with the Brazilian club determined to receive a large fee, akin to the money raised by selling Estevao and Vitor Reis, so a deal may need to break the bank.
With Palmeiras extending the youngster’s contract until 2029, however, they remain in a strong negotiating position for the time being.
The starlet has impressed at times for Palmeiras, being described as their “standout” player by journalist Leandro Boudakian earlier this year, and he is extremely versatile, having featured in central midfield, on both wings, and in attacking midfield for the Brazilian club.
Not only that, but the Florianopolis-born attacker has regularly displayed his dribbling and creative talents over the past year, ranking in a very high percentile on both metrics, when compared to his positional peers.
Statistic
Average per 90 (past year)
Successful take-ons
2.93 (99th percentile)
Progressive carries
2.93 (98th percentile)
Assists
0.42 (99th percentile)
That said, the Palmeiras academy graduate didn’t exactly set the world alight in the 2025 Brazilian Serie A, chipping in with just one goal and two assists in 21 appearances, which suggests he may be some way off first-team level at a club like Chelsea.
Allan is still very young, but the Blues have already signed a plethora of youngsters in recent times, including Gittens, Garnacho and Estevao, so it would not be the end of the world if they missed out on another.
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The Blues are in pole position to sign a new striker, who could be made available this winter.