Category: 6. Sports

Three governing principles will guide the committee in its efforts: parity, scarcity and simplicity. The committee will aim to further strengthen the TOUR’s commitment to a meritocratic structure, increase fan engagement by ensuring top players compete together more often and better connect the regular and postseason to magnify the TOUR Championship.

As a general rule, it is almost always best to sleep on things before making important decisions or reacting to provocations. So why, at close to midnight on Tuesday, did Newcastle rush out a seemingly kneejerk response to Alexander Isak’s incendiary Instagram post claiming that, amid broken promises, his relationship with the club was over?

In a statement reflecting an appreciably tougher tone than at any time during this summer saga, Newcastle insisted no promises had been broken and that their intention is to keep Isak. The message was that the Sweden striker’s attempt to force a move to Liverpool had failed and he would need to end his one-man strike before being welcomed back to first-team training. The only problem is that while you can lead a horse to water it sometimes really is impossible to make them drink.

Even if – and right now it looks a pretty big if – Isak stops training alone and agrees to rejoin Newcastle’s first-team fold, how can Eddie Howe ever trust him again? Howe’s high-intensity, hard‑pressing approach is extremely demanding and, if Isak is anything less than fully engaged, he will prove detrimental to the team. Yes, Isak is supremely gifted, but the standard in the Premier League and Champions League is so high that even he is not capable of drifting through games and scoring goals out of nothing.

Howe has already acknowledged that Isak’s behaviour in skipping Newcastle’s pre-season tour of south-east Asia disrupted dressing‑room morale. Does he really want a player, however talented, polluting behind‑the‑scenes atmosphere with his grievances? Given Newcastle fans have taken to chanting about “one greedy bastard”, maintaining his personal security in the face of intense supporter anger may not be exactly straightforward, either.

Moreover, Isak knows that with every poor performance the price tag around his neck will drop. Given that Liverpool have shown no indication of pursuing alternative strikers, they could end up playing a slightly longer game and waiting until Newcastle are desperate to offload their No 14 in January. In reality it will be a major surprise if this saga endures that long. Indeed a careful reading of Newcastle’s statement conveys a hint that maybe it is part of a haggling manoeuvre as the club’s Saudi Arabian owners aim to extract the maximum possible price from their Anfield counterparts. As the former Newcastle and Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez used to say: “All football is a lie.”

In their statement on Tuesday night Newcastle said: “We have been clear that the conditions for a sale this summer have not transpired. We do not foresee these conditions being met.” The conditions in question refer to the need for Newcastle to sign two strikers to not merely replace Isak but also Callum Wilson, who is now at West Ham. There is a theory that Isak’s withering social media outburst reflected his frustration at the club’s unwillingness to pay Brentford’s £50m-£60m asking fee for Yoane Wissa to fill at least one of those slots. In an uncanny parallel, Wissa has also absented himself from first-team involvement at his club as he attempts to seal a longed‑for move to St James’ Park.

The ostensibly weird thing about the proposed Wissa deal is that the Saudis want £150m for Isak but have offered Brentford £40m for the DR Congo forward. Statistics can be deceptive but in this case they seem pretty compelling. Last season Wissa scored 19 goals in 35 Premier League appearances. Significantly, none were penalties. Isak, meanwhile, scored 23 times in 34 league appearances for a much stronger side. Four of his goals were also penalties.

There is a reasonable case for claiming that Isak’s all-round game is superior to Wissa’s, but Brentford watchers demur, making the point that Wissa is also a pretty useful attacking threat from wide on the left. The big difference is that Wissa is three years older than Isak. Perhaps more importantly, while three years remain on Isak’s contract with Newcastle, there is only one year left on Wissa’s with Brentford.

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

Newcastle’s £40m offer for Wissa, made on Wednesday afternoon, was swiftly rejected by Brentford but the hope of the club’s Saudi owners will be that a deal will eventually be done. They also know that keeping Isak for another year could prove rather pointless given that he is clearly not committed to Howe’s cause and next summer’s price for a then 26-year-old with two years left on his contract is going to be nowhere near £150m.

Despite appearances to the contrary, the prospect of such a dwindling profit margin means it is still eminently possible to envisage Isak waking up as a Liverpool player on 2 September. Similarly, Jørgen Strand Larsen or Gonçalo Ramos could join Wissa on Tyneside by the time the transfer window has shut. And should that all transpire, what’s for sure is that Newcastle’s dressing room would be an infinitely healthier, happier place.

Arsenal have agreed a deal worth up to £67.5m for Eberechi Eze and look poised to sensationally hijack Tottenham’s move for the England forward.

It is understood that Mikel Arteta’s side made an approach to Crystal Palace over Eze after Kai Havertz sustained a knee injury during Arsenal’s win against Manchester United on Sunday. Arsenal are continuing to assess the injury but fear that the German forward could be absent for an extended period, even if the early indications are that it is not extremely serious.

But the uncertainty prompted Arsenal to accelerate their interest in Eze, with sources indicating that they have remained in constant contact with the 27‑year‑old’s representatives all summer.

Tottenham had looked in pole position to sign him after stepping up their interest over the weekend and are believed to have agreed a deal worth close to his release clause of £68m, which expired last week.

Yet with Arteta keen to add to his attacking reinforcements as they attempt to become champions for the first time since 2004, it is understood that the sporting director, Andrea Berta, and vice-chairman, Tim Lewis, contacted Palace on Wednesday to gazump their north London rivals.

Eze, who has made no secret of his desire to test himself at the highest level by playing for a club in the Champions League, has indicated he would prefer to join the club that released him at the age of 13 rather than their north London rivals.

Arsenal are believed to have agreed a deal with the Palace chair, Steve Parish, in which they will pay a large chunk of the initial £60m fee up front, with another £7.5m in bonuses. QPR, from whom Palace signed him in 2020 for £19.5m, are due a 15% sell-on fee of any profit they make. Personal terms are not expected to be an issue.

It is understood that Eze will play for Palace in the first leg of Crystal Palace’s Conference League playoff on Thursday and have an opportunity to bid farewell to the supporters after scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup final in May. He is then expected to complete his medical and become Arsenal’s seventh summer signing.

Oliver Glasner, the Palace manager, praised Eze’s attitude as speculation has mounted over his future, with doubts over whether he would feature against Chelsea in their opening Premier League game when he had a free‑kick disallowed by the video assistant referee. “I’m still disappointed that this goal was disallowed and he will show a great performance tomorrow,” Glasner said.

Havertz, who played 31 minutes as a substitute at Old Trafford on Sunday, did not take part in an open training session at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday morning. His absence would leave Arteta with the new signing Viktor Gyökeres as the only available recognised striker in his squad, with Gabriel Jesus not expected to return from a knee injury in the near future. Mikel Merino filled in when Havertz missed 18 matches last season after sustaining a hamstring injury in February, and the Spain midfielder scored seven goals from then until May. Arteta expressed his desire that Havertz could play alongside Gyökeres in pre-season.

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

“Kai can play in different positions, as well,” he said. “I think it elevates the quality in the squad, the goal threat that we have in the team, the options that we have to change and provide oppositions with a lot of problems.”

Arsenal have already spent almost £200m this summer and are still hoping to move on a number of fringe players before the end of the transfer window. Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko both have interest from Porto, with Italian clubs having also been linked to the Poland defender.

Kiwior is understood to prefer to move overseas despite interest from other Premier League clubs after he deputised for the injured Gabriel Magalhães last season. Arsenal are in talks with Stuttgart over a move for Fábio Vieira, while Reiss Nelson could rejoin Fulham after spending last season on loan in west London. Eze’s potential arrival could also mean they step up attempts to sell Leandro Trossard.

Australia’s teenage batting sensation Sam Konstas has voiced his excitement about joining forces with Pakistan’s Shadab Khan in the upcoming Big Bash League (BBL) season, describing the all-rounder’s arrival as a game-changer for the Sydney Thunder.

Konstas, who has just inked a new four-year deal with the Sydney Thunder, said the squad is shaping up to be one of the most balanced in the tournament, and that Shadab Khan may be the missing ingredient to get them over the line this year. “With Shadab Khan in the side, I feel we can put on some outstanding performances this year,” the 19-year-old said, outlining his ambition to step up as a consistent match-winner.

The Pakistani all-rounder was selected 12th overall by the Thunder in this year’s BBL draft. While he has plenty of experience in the Australian league after stints with the Sydney Sixers, Hobart Hurricanes, and Brisbane Heat, this will be his first time taking the field for the Thunder since the 2022/23 season.

Shadab is currently undergoing rehab following shoulder surgery but is expected to be fit enough to take part in the competition, which will serve as a crucial testing ground ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup.

Konstas, meanwhile, made headlines last year when he smashed the fastest fifty in the Thunder’s history on debut. In just five BBL outings, the youngster has already showcased glimpses of star potential.

With Shadab’s experience and Konstas’ youthful energy, the Thunder are aiming to build a side that blends flair with stability—one that can challenge for top honours in the new season.

Brentford have teamed up with Fantasy Football Scout to help bring you hints, tips and advice during the 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season.

Scout will be using their expertise to provide info, advice and Gameweek tips which may prove useful in ensuring you sit on top of your mini-leagues.

---

Best of the Bees

A tricky start awaited new head coach Keith Andrews, as he took his team to Europa League competitors Nottingham Forest without playmaker Mikkel Damsgaard (£6.0m).

In a major boost to the Bees, Andrews was able to welcome two key players back into proceedings after some injury-ravaged times. It was Rico Henry’s (£4.5m) first top-flight start in almost two years, and Aaron Hickey’s (£4.0m) first Premier League outing in 659 days. 

Igor Thiago (£6.0m) also had his 2024/25 decimated by injury but played all 90 minutes at the City Ground, missing an early chance to equalise from close range.

But, significantly, we now know he’s on penalty duty, as he stepped up to slot home a consolation spot-kick after Ibrahim Sangaré’s (£5.0m) handball. That should grab the attention of Fantasy managers – maybe the Bees are about to provide yet another £6.0m centre-forward gem! 

Meanwhile, defender Sepp van den Berg (£4.5m) became the first Brentford recipient of FPL’s new defensive contribution (DC) points. By making 14 DC actions, he comfortably reached the 10 needed for a defender to bag two extra points.

The Spotlight

Between the sticks, a late decision was made on whether to start Caoimhín Kelleher (£4.5m) after he picked up a knock in training. Until these doubts emerged, he was FPL’s most-selected goalkeeper. 

In the end, the Irishman made his Brentford debut alongside Antoni Milambo (£5.5m) and substitute Jordan Henderson (£5.0m). Although he couldn’t keep a clean sheet, the 26-year-old registered two saves. Last season’s stopper, Mark Flekken, made a league-high 156 saves, comfortably ahead of second-best Aaron Ramsdale (£5.0m).

With the Dutchman now at Bayer Leverkusen, Kelleher is a top-quality replacement, fresh from collecting four shutouts in 10 league games for champions Liverpool. 10.6 per cent of Fantasy managers should feel optimistic about Saturday’s match.

Opponents Aston Villa didn’t score in Gameweek 1, recording the fewest goal attempts (three) of any team.

Best of the Rest

Overall, the opening weekend of 2025/26 brought nine clean sheets, including successes for promoted duo Leeds and Sunderland. Daniel Ballard (£4.5m) leads the way for individual points (17), adding a goal, DC points and bonuses to his clean sheet.

On the opening night, Antoine Semenyo’s (£7.1m) brace almost got a point for Bournemouth against Liverpool, until Mohamed Salah (£14.5m) eventually popped up with his usual Gameweek 1 goal.

This time, the Egyptian was outdone by Erling Haaland (£14.0m) in the battle of FPL’s most expensive premiums.

In Demand

Despite Haaland’s two strikes, most Manchester City attention seems to be on team-mate Tijjani Reijnders (£5.6m) right now. The exciting summer signing could almost become an FPL cheat code if he builds on his goal and assist at Wolves, aiming for the 15 and five that came in all 2024/25 competitions for AC Milan. 

After him and Semenyo, the next most-bought is another star Friday performer at Anfield: Hugo Ekitike (£8.6m). Managers may have initially held back, waiting until the real-life transfer window closes, but he followed a Community Shield goal with 11 points in the opener.

However, fellow new signing Florian Wirtz (£8.5m) is currently the most-sold player ahead of the injured Joško Gvardiol (£6.0m) and suspended Ezri Konsa (£4.5m).

Captaincy

As for the captain’s armband, some may be hesitant about handing it to Salah for Monday’s spicy match at Newcastle United. Although he scored twice and assisted once in last season’s 3-3 draw, rewarding managers with 18 points.

On the other hand, it could be tough for Haaland as City lost 4-0 when they previously hosted Tottenham.

Elsewhere, the fixtures of Cole Palmer (£10.5m) and Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) appeal, versus West Ham United and Leeds United, but both blanked in Gameweek 1.