that Everton have completed the signing of Ashley Williams from Swansea City.
The news comes after the Merseyside outfit sold John Stones to Manchester City for £47.5m earlier this week with Wiliams set to wear the number five shirt vacated by the England international.
Williams was one of the stand out performers as Wales defied the odds to reach the semi-finals of this summer’s European Championships, playing every minute of their campaign and scoring in the 3-1 win over Belgium in the quarter-finals.
The thirty-one year old moved to Swansea from Stockport County in February 2008 and made three hundred and fifty-two appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring fourteen goals.
He was part of the squad that won the 2013 League Cup, when…
Former Barcelona star Xavi has hailed Pep Guardiola as the most influential figure in world football in a decade.
Barca won three LaLiga titles, two Champions Leagues and two Club World Cups among a host of honours during Guardiola s four-year spell in charge between 2008 and 2012.
The former midfielder subsequently took Bayern Munich to three consecutive Bundesliga titles, as well as two DFB-Pokals, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup, before replacing Manuel Pellegrini as Manchester City boss.
And Xavi is confident that his former coach will bring both significant success and a shift in football style to the Premier League.
Pep improved all of us, he said at the Aspire4Sports event in Amsterdam. He teaches you the why of things and conveys a lot…
Kevin De Bruyne feels criticism of Jack Grealish is not about football and is so intense only because he plays for England.
Grealish joined Manchester City in a £100million British-record transfer in 2021 but has not yet produced the same output as he had at Aston Villa.
After six goals and 10 assists in 26 Premier League games for Villa in 2020-21, Grealish contributed only three goals and three assists in the same number of appearances in his debut City campaign.
The start to the 2022-23 season has again been slow, although the England winger netted his first goal in Saturday s 3-0 win at Wolves.
De Bruyne s cross teed up that early opener, and the City midfielder has come to the defence of his team-mate, whose lifestyle has also been scrutinised since…
Kieran Trippier has left the England camp due to a personal matter ahead of the Euro 2024 qualifier in North Macedonia.
Gareth Southgate’s side secured progress to next summer’s finals with two games to spare and Friday’s forgettable 2-0 win against Malta all but assured their spot among the top seeds in the December 2 draw.
England end their Euro 2024 qualification campaign and 2023 fixture calendar in Skopje on Monday night, when they will be unable to call upon Newcastle full-back Trippier.
22 players are out for today s session at s training ground ahead of our final qualifier. has departed the camp, owing to a personal matter and will not travel to North Macedonia.
— England (@England)
The England account on X, formerly known as …
The eye-watering wages Lionel Messi is being paid by Barcelona have been leaked by El Mundo.
The lucrative contract signed by the Argentina international in November 2017, which is set to expire this year, was said to potentially be worth more than €555million.
According to the Spanish newspaper, that includes annual earnings in excess of €138m dependent on some variables as well as a renewal fee of over €115m and a loyalty bonus just shy of €78m.
The report says Messi has earned €29.8m of the €73.5m up for grabs in incentives, making the deal ultimately worth €511.5m to the superstar striker.
That would make the 33-year-old the world s best-paid athlete, seeing him bring in around five times the amount NBA great LeBron James m…
Kevin De Bruyne sees himself as one of the leaders in Manchester City s squad, having helped to spark the comeback against Chelsea on Saturday.
De Bruyne scored City s equaliser as Pep Guardiola s side came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at Etihad Stadium.
The victory takes the defending champions up to third place, one point behind high-flyers Leicester City but nine shy of leaders Liverpool.
Having missed much of last season through injury, De Bruyne has been in scintillating form this campaign, scoring three league goals and leading the way in the division with nine assists.
At 28, the Belgium playmaker – who signed for City in 2015 – now identifies himself as a guiding light for a team who saw Vincent Kompany return to Anderlecht this year and ar…
De Gea confirms Manchester United exit, Onana transfer close
David De Gea has announced his decision to leave Manchester United.
De Gea s contract expired at United the end of June and there were talks over a possibility of signing a new one, and neither side seemed to be in rush to get it done. The Spanish goalkeeper has obviously made his choice now and has already said his farewells via social media.
I just wanted to send this farewell message to all Manchester United supporters.
I would like to express my unwavering gratitude and appreciation for the love from the last 12 years. We’ve achieved a lot since my dear Sir Alex Ferguson brought me to this club. I took incredible…
— David de Gea (@D_DeGea)
Meanwhi…
Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of Manchester City youngster Jayden Braaf on a free transfer as the Bundesliga side s recruitment drive continues.
Braaf announced on Thursday that he would leave City, where he was offered limited first-team chances after joining from the PSV youth academy in 2018.
The 19-year-old was previously linked to a move to Dortmund in 2020 but ended up joining Udinese on loan, scoring once in four appearances before a knee ligament injury ruled him out for a year.
Dortmund confirmed on Friday that they have captured the promising winger on a three-year deal, Braaf following in the footsteps of Jadon Sancho and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who traded City for the Bundesliga side.
Braaf s arrival marks another new addition for …
Verdict: Russia win
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Looking to carry on their impressive run of form from this summers World Cup finals, Russia will welcome a struggling Sweden side to the Stadion Kaliningrad on Thursday night.
Russia
Starting with Stanislav Cherchesov s Russia side, while this summers World Cup hosts may have been out of form entering the tournament, their heroics have breathed new life into Russia s national side. Knocking out 2010 champions Spain in an iconic penalty shoot-out victory, while they may have fallen to Croatia in the quarterfinals, once again on spot kicks, Russia were arguably this summers surprise package. Continuing the positive atmosphere in their camp, along with picking up a 2-1 win over Turkey in their UEFA Nations Lea…
Ajax chief executive officer Edwin van der Sar has rejected speculation linking him with a return to Manchester United.
The former United goalkeeper is reportedly a target for the Premier League club as they seek to appoint their first sporting director.
United have struggled in the transfer market since the 2013 retirement of managerial great Alex Ferguson, under whom Van der Sar played.
Van der Sar has helped mastermind stunning success for Ajax, who won the domestic double last term as well as reaching the Champions League semi-finals.
games
at Old Trafford
competitions
Here s our September schedule
— Manchester United (@ManUtd)
But a move back to the Premier League does not appear to be on the cards for the 48-y…