The Guardian

New forward is a priority and Alvarez also on list Funds in place to make one marquee signing Arsenal will reward Mikel Arteta for ending Arsenal’s 22-year wait to be champions by offering him a lucrative new contract that will cement the Spaniard’s status as one of the best-paid managers in the world. The club are also well advanced with plans to strengthen his squad. Talks over extending Arteta…

Walkouts to take place at Friday’s press conferences Dispute with grand slams gone on for more than a year The world’s top players are planning to protest over prize money by reducing their media appearances at the French Open as their public battle with the grand slams intensifies. Players selected to take part in Friday’s opening press conference at Roland Garros will walk out after 15 minutes,…

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nicky Bandini and Sam Dalling as Manchester City drop points at Bournemouth to hand the Premier League title to Arsenal. On today’s podcast: joyous scenes on the Holloway Road as, with a game to spare, Arsenal are champions for the first time in 22 years. All of Mikel Arteta’s tactics, his training ground bonfires, his technical area jousting in tight t…

‘Robbo’ leaves the club on Sunday after nine years having won the lot and been loved by those who watched him play It was a bit of a surprise when we signed Andy Robertson from Hull City – not because he wasn’t a household name, but because all the focus had been on his teammate Harry Maguire. But, pound for pound, the £8m we paid for Robbo in the summer of 2017 has got to be one of the best valu…

Saints are appealing against expulsion and deduction Windass: story ‘one of the maddest I’ve seen’ The Wrexham forward Josh Windass has called for the Championship playoffs to be started again, with his team involved, after Southampton’s expulsion on Tuesday. Saints were removed from the post-season competition by an independent commission after admitting to three spying offences, including again…

Italian is expected to follow Pep Guardiola and maybe the decision was made a long time ago Now the secret is out it is possible to look at Enzo Maresca’s incendiary remarks about his “worst 48 hours” at Chelsea through a different lens. Change is coming at Manchester City, who are preparing for Pep Guardiola’s departure at the end of the season, and it does not require much reading between the l…

Teams with same owner cannot compete together Head of women’s football Kessler says ‘no exceptions’ Uefa’s head of women’s football has said rules prohibiting clubs with the same owner from playing together in the Women’s Champions League will be strictly enforced, dealing a blow to investors such as Michele Kang. Kang owns one of Saturday’s Women’s Champions League finalists, OL Lyonnes, and Lon…

Within days of new parenthood, cricket tragics often find themselves mapping out futures for their offspring in the game. I’m no different Every cricket-loving parent will know the feeling. Not a feeling, exactly, more a tiny flicker of hope. A ridiculous, irrational hope that the gods who once reached down and gently kissed the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Ellyse Perry might one day do the same…

The streamer has given us a broadcast so powerfully isolating it effectively anticipates sport’s viewerless future Game 7 in the NBA playoffs: a chance to kick back, enjoy the drama of a winner-takes-all shootout between basketball’s big beasts, and … switch over from your regular TV provider to Amazon Prime? The excitement drains from the occasion at the first touch of the remote. Amazon no doub…

We look at what Celtic’s title win means for Scottish soccer, Argentina’s World Cup plans and the prospect of a Premier League without Pep Guardiola Sir Alex Ferguson may have him beat for longevity and number of titles. Arsène Wenger can take some credit for English soccer’s modernization in the 1990s, but Pep Guardiola completely changed the landscape in his decade as Manchester City manager. C…

Clock would stop for injuries, substitutions and set pieces MLS previously used a stopping clock from 1996-1999 Ifab last debated a stopping clock in 2017 Major League Soccer has had discussions with the International Football Association Board, global football’s rule making body, about trialing the use of a stopped clock in matches. A continuously running clock that does not stop for fouls, set …

Departures of club legend and star players have not stopped modest German side reaching showpiece with Aston Villa It’s about the journey, perhaps even more than the destination. That is the feeling of SC Freiburg before the biggest match in their history. Regardless of the result in Wednesday’s Europa League final against Aston Villa in Istanbul, the club will be present at a reception in the ci…

Club are battling relegation from the second tier in a city under attack by Russian forces but are one upset away from the Europa League A minivan with darkened windows pulls up at a gym in central Chernihiv and, once the doors have slid open, a stream of youths emerges into the daylight. Inside, Artem Rakitin sits everyone down on the rubber mat for one last pep talk. He has known most of the yo…

Plus: greatest distance between two teams in a derby (part two) and origins of why Celtic Park is nicknamed ‘Paradise’ Mail us with your all of your questions and answers “Which player has won the most league championships without winning an international cap?” asks Nick Williamson. “Steve Bruce won three Premier League titles with Manchester United – surely there are other non-capped players wit…

South Sydney and NSW backrower had not played this year ‘Handling this situation is much more important than football’ Rugby league representative player Jai Arrow has retired from the NRL following a shock medical diagnosis of motor neurone disease (MND). Souths’ reigning player of the year, who played 12 matches for Queensland, had not played in the NRL in 2026 after an issue in pre-season that…