France and Manchester United centre-back Raphael Varane has announced his retirement from international football. The 29-year-old, who won the World Cup in 2018, scored five goals in 93 appearances for his country after making his debut in 2013. The last of his caps was won in the 2022 World Cup final, in which France were beaten by Argentina on penalties. “Representing our great country for a decade has been one…
Until now, the identity of Barcelona’s first manager has been shrouded in mystery. The club’s official records refer to him only as ‘B. Barren’,external-link noting that he was an Englishman who was in charge for a brief period in 1912. New research has revealed the truth about this footballing pioneer, with a story that goes back to the coalfields of Durham and the first ‘World Cup’. Here is the tale…
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has told his players a Wembley appearance will mean nothing unless they beat Newcastle in the EFL Cup final on 26 February. Second-half goals from Anthony Martial and Fred eased United to a 5-0 aggregate win over Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford. It confirmed United’s first domestic final appearance since 2018 and puts them a win away from ending their six-year wait for a…
Giorgos Giakoumakis will still leave Celtic, despite the closure of the January transfer windows in Europe, as the 28-year-old Greece striker remains in discussions with Major League Soccer club Atlanta United and J-League outfit Urawa Red Diamonds – and their windows remain open. (Football Scotland)external-link Oliver Abildgaard paid an emotional farewell to Celtic after the 26-year-old midfielder’s season-long stay on loan from Rubin Kazan was cut short and he moved…
Permacrisis may have been the Collins Dictionary word of the year for 2022, but Cardiff City are a club who are keeping the spirit of the term alive in 2023. The Bluebirds’ recent history has been dominated by upheaval on and off the field, extreme highs and lows set to a near-constant backdrop of chaos. Now after 20 years in the top two tiers, they are hovering dangerously close to…
Manchester United’s loan move for Bayern Munich’s Marcel Sabitzer on transfer deadline day was one of the more surprising deals of another record-breaking window. United manager Erik ten Hag was forced into a late foray into the market by Tuesday’s news that Christian Eriksen was out for at least three months with an ankle injury, and he quickly set his sights on Sabitzer – a player the club has been…
Various Southend United supporters’ groups are to begin “exploratory work” to establish a phoenix club. They are worried that the National League club, which is facing an HM Revenue & Customs winding-up petition, could go out of business. And BBC Essex understands that players and other staff have yet to receive their wages for January. “The thought of Southend United as we know it ending does not bear thinking about,”…
The British transfer record was smashed on deadline day as an unprecedented January transfer window ended with Premier League clubs having spent £2.8bn during the 2022-23 season. Chelsea’s 121m euro (£107m) deal for Benfica’s Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez – once confirmed – will take the total expenditure by top-flight clubs in January to a record-breaking £815m. More than £275m was spent on deadline day alone before the window closed for…
When Benfica signed Enzo Fernandez for an initial £8.8m in June it was uncertain whether the River Plate midfielder would join the club immediately or in January. It turned out the better question would have been when would he leave? The answer: Seven months later to Chelsea for more than 10 times that amount and as a World Cup winner and also the Premier League’s most expensive signing. Chelsea signed…
Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has cleared the club’s outstanding £194m debt to parent company King Power International (KPI). The club owed the amount in loans to KPI, which is owned by the Srivaddhanaprabha family. A debt-to-equity transfer to KPI was completed to relieve the club of its outstanding debts. Leicester said the move was evidence of “KPI’s commitment to supporting the club’s long-term sustainability”. “These loans have been provided by…