Conor Coady confident Wrexham can cope with Championship spotlight
Conor Coady says Wrexham aim to “upset and disrupt” Championship teams on their return to the second tier of English football.
Netherlands Sport News
Liverpool spend big to hold off Arsenal, City in Premier League title fight
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool have splashed out to defend their Premier League title as champions but face stiff competition from an Arsenal side desperate to shake off their tag as nearly men and a rejuvenated Manchester City. After storming to a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title in Arne Slot’s first season in charge, Liverpool have looked to build from a position of strength during a summer marked by tragedy. Portuguese forward Diogo Jota was killed in a car accident alongside his brother last month, plunging the club into mourning. Tributes to Jota will continue throughout the season with “Forever 20” — his shirt number, which the club have now retired — printed on Liverpool’s jerseys. The Reds have already spent £260 million ($350 million) on Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong. However, after the departures of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, they are not yet done in strengthening their forward line and are expected to launch a fresh bid for Alexander Isak, with Newcastle demanding a British transfer record fee for the Swedish striker. Liverpool’s rivals will hope Wirtz and Ekitike take time to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League after shining in Germany’s Bundesliga, while there are defensive doubts for Slot’s men to answer. The Dutch coach said his side need to defend better after leaky performances in pre-season were followed by defeat in the Community Shield to Crystal Palace on Sunday after twice blowing the lead. After finishing second for the past three seasons, Arsenal are longing for their first title in 22 years and have backed Mikel Arteta with another near £200 million investment in the transfer market. Spanish international Martin Zubimendi will be the new anchor of the
Qatar, Lebanon and Syria suffer losses, Iran defeats Japan at FIBA Asia Cup
JEDDAH: The fourth day of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 basketball championship in Jeddah ended with the Qatari, Lebanese and Syrian teams losing to the South Korean, Australian and Guam teams.
Slot says Liverpool title favorites due to last season’s triumph, not spending spree
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said it is completely normal for his side to be viewed as favorites to retain their Premier League crown, citing last campaign’s success rather than their close-season transfer activity. Liverpool, who won the Premier League last season to secure a record-equalling 20th English title, have bolstered their squad with the arrivals of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and others. The Merseyside club, however, have also had Trent Alexander-Arnold leave for Real Madrid, Luis Diaz move to Bayern Munich and Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen, while their Portuguese forward Diogo Jota died in a car crash last month. “It’s completely normal that we are one of the favorites, because we won it last season,” Slot told reporters ahead of Sunday’s FA Community Shield showdown against Crystal Palace. “And we brought in good players. Like all the other teams did, by the way.
Reinforced Real aim to dethrone Barca and their attacking juggernaut
MADRID :Barcelona were unstoppable last season, winning a remarkable LaLiga and Copa del Rey double with 174 goals in 60 matches, but this term they face a very different Real Madrid side promising a tactical revolution under new coach Xabi Alonso.
Man United unveil state-of-the-art training base they hope will return them to soccer’s elite
MANCHESTER: Manchester United opened their new “world class” training complex Friday that they hope will help return the fallen giant to the top of European soccer.
Vitesse Arnhem lose last bid to save professional status, angering supporters
AMSTERDAM: One of the Netherlands’ oldest clubs, Vitesse Arnhem, lost a final bid to save their professional license on Friday and were effectively kicked out of the league, sparking fan protests.
Bayern Munich shift away from ‘Visit Rwanda’ sponsorship after criticism
MUNICH: Bayern Munich signaled Friday they will cut down on “Visit Rwanda” branding as they move “away from a commercial sponsorship” with the African nation facing a backlash over alleged support for rebels in neighboring Congo.