The Guardian

Signing of World Cup winner adds to sense that this is the summer when BlueCo got serious in transfer market Carlo Cudicini was a very good goalkeeper. However, José Mourinho was ruthless when he became Chelsea manager in 2004. Very good was not good enough. Mourinho wanted the best and one of the main factors behind the Portuguese winning the Premier League during his first season in charge was …

Aroma wafts over practice courts from nearby park Katie Boulter: ‘I’ve experienced it. I’m not a huge fan’ Britain’s US Open hopefuls thought they had put the grass behind them when Wimbledon finished, but the smell of it is all around Flushing Meadows and they are not happy about it. Marijuana is legal for adults in New York and while smoking is not allowed on site, the aroma of weed wafts over …

Jackson joins from Chelsea, PSG’s Mbaye poised to join Saudi-bound Watkins says sorry for refusing to play Unai Emery said Aston Villa were embarking on a “new chapter” as he welcomed the signing of Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Ibrahim Mbaye poised to complete a near-£100m remake of his attack. Jackson, for whom Villa have paid an initial £47.5m, is in line to make his de…

Updates from 12.30pm (BST) kickoff Get in touch: mail Scott and follow us on BlueSky Liverpool make two changes to the side that drew 2-2 at Newcastle United last weekend. Alexis Mac Allister replaces Ryan Gravenberch in midfield, while Victor Munoz makes his full debut by taking over stand-in duties on the right wing from Rio Ngumoha. Cody Gakpo, who impressed last weekend but is now the subject…

Updates from rain-hit day three at Lord’s Day two report | Sign up for the Spin | Mail James Righto, I’m going to hunt down some coffee and I’ll be back in a bit to sift through your suggestions for rain related genius. I’ve already done Andie MacDowell in FWAAF so you can’t have that. Sorry. Live from Lord’s… it’s Simon Burnton! It’s the most annoying kind of rainfall. Only just more than no rai…

Updates from the latest round of Championship matches Day two roundup | Sign up for the Spin | Mail Tanya Remaining cloudy this afternoon. England and Wales will have with spells of rain and showers, heavy at times. Elsewhere, it will be drier with a few showers or patches of rain. Windy in the far south. Could we stay cautiously optimistic? Anyway, they’re underway at Durham, who lead Gloucester…

In a 1931 exhibition, Jackie Mitchell silenced the greats back-to-back. It sparked still-ongoing debates over legitimacy and opportunities for women in baseball The Sultan of Swat sounded exasperated. “I don’t know what things are coming to,” Babe Ruth sighed during spring training in 1931. “I don’t know what’s going to happen if they begin to let women in baseball,” he elaborated to reporters. “…

Norris: ‘I want my whole career to be with McLaren’ F1 title holder says other teams have approached him Lando Norris has said he would like to see out his career with McLaren, as the defending Formula One world champion announced he has agreed a multi-year deal until at least 2030 with the team he described as like “a second family”. The 26-year-old, who won his first F1 title last season , join…

Filip Hrgovic singing to the press is a stark contrast to the brooding Briton who is grappling with the blinding lights of fame and glory Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic have presented an intriguing study in contrast this week. The 21-year-old prodigy from Chatham in Kent, of Slovakian and Nigerian descent, has been a thoughtful and slightly brooding presence while the seasoned 34-year-old from Cr…

Chelsea defender reflects on spending time with refugees in Colombia this summer and her passion for helping people on and off the pitch Lucy Bronze does not stop. Her brain runs a hundred miles a minute. She does not need traditional entertainment. “I’m not good at watching TV – I can’t sit still,” Bronze says, sitting sort-of still, on a bench shielded from the wind, overlooking Chelsea’s train…

Rabbitoh granted NRL dispensation to appear in 99th game for club Forward will join 100 club next week against Roosters Jai Arrow made a brief but heart-warming return to an NRL field on Saturday as the forward brought up his 99th game for South Sydney Rabbitohs in an emotionally-charged appearance that paves the way for him to reach his 100-game milestone next week. Arrow was diagnosed with moto…

Marquinhos grabs late equaliser for Ligue 1 champions Bayern overwhelm Stuttgart 5-1 at Allianz Arena Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos scored deep into stoppage ⁠time to snatch a scarcely deserved 2-2 draw at Lille on Friday as the Ligue 1 champions ⁠continued to struggle ⁠after ​being held by Rennes on the opening weekend. After the poor 2-2 draw ‌against Rennes, things went from bad to w…

Toffees new-look attack will hope to gel during their relatively easy start to the campaign in their second season at the historic Goodison Park Guardian writers’ predicted position: 10th (NB: this is not necessarily Tom Garry’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 8th Continue reading...

Report: player posed as nearly two years younger Scheme allegedly included fake grave and records $2.8m agreement with Guardians was canceled A once-prized prospect from the Dominican Republic has been suspended by Major League Baseball after a league investigation revealed the player was part of an elaborate plot to portray him ⁠as nearly two years younger than he actually was, ESPN reported Fri…

St Helens 6-34 Leeds Rhinos return to top of table after running in six tries If you needed any further proof that Super League’s two most successful sides are travelling in opposite directions in 2026, this was about as conclusive as it can get. There are two very different fates awaiting Leeds and St Helens in three weeks or so. The Rhinos will now almost certainly be resting before a Super Lea…