West Ham are lining up a move for Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater.
The Mirror says Manuel Pellegrini is ready to join the chase for Drinkwater with West Ham still keen to reinforce in midfield.
Read more on Tribal FootballWest Ham are lining up a move for Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater.
The Mirror says Manuel Pellegrini is ready to join the chase for Drinkwater with West Ham still keen to reinforce in midfield.
Read more on Tribal FootballWhistleblower tells Sunday Times fake propaganda spread by PR agency and ex-CIA operatives
The Qatar 2022 World Cup bid team broke Fifa rules by running a secret campaign to sabotage their rivals for the tournament, it has been claimed.
The allegations are said to be based on documents from a whistleblower who worked on the Qatar bid.
Continue reading...Chelsea have set their price for unsettled striker Alvaro Morata.
Sky Italia says Chelsea have told AC Milan to stump up 62million if they want Morata.
Read more on Tribal FootballPlus: players who left teams heading for relegation and won the European Cup in the same season; deliberate own goals; and average teams. Mail us or tweet @TheKnowledge_GU
“Real Madrid made an £8m profit on Cristiano Ronaldo when they sold him to Juventus for £88m. He’s 33! What’s the biggest profit made by a club on a player in their thirties?” wonders George Jones.
Cristiano Ronaldo may have obliterated the transfer record for a player in his 30s but, when it comes to profit, he is not the king. It’s hard to give exact figures because of exchange rates and conflicting reports of some transfer fees – hence the use of ‘around’ approximately 472 times in this answer – but we can safely say that at least two thirtysomethings have earned their former clubs a greater profit than Himself.
Continue reading...Lyon president Jean Michel Aulas says any move to Liverpool for Nabil Fekir will be decided by the player.
However, he is confident Fekir will stay with OL this season.
Read more on Tribal FootballBarcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic says Croatia teammate Luka Modric should be a Ballon d'Or contender.
Rakitic also hopes the tournament's best player award will be handed over to a Croatian no matter the result of their clash with France.
Read more on Tribal Football12.28pm BST
How seriously do we all want England to take the third-place playoff? I want it to be Nick Pope upfront challenging Dedryck Boyata for second balls and a penalty shootout where Fabian Delph tries to rabona one in, but I can see the merits of taking it seriously.
12.18pm BST
Ben mentioned it earlier, but here are the full quotes from man of the people and self-publicist Gianni Infantino.
For a couple of years I have been saying this will be the best World Cup ever and today I can say that with conviction - it is the best World Cup ever.
I would like to thank everyone. The main actors are on the pitch - the players, referees and coaches - but, of course, there are also all those who have worked to make sure everything has worked smoothly, the Russians.
A big thank you to the Russian government and the Russian President Vladimir Putin, the local organising committee, the Russian Football Union, the volunteers, the heart and smile of the World Cup, all those people, more than 100,000, who helped in one capacity or another.
Continue reading...West Ham have completed the signing of Borussia Dortmund winger Andriy Yarmolenko.
New Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini has swooped to make Yarmolenko his fifth addition since taking over at the London Stadium. He joins for 22m.
Read more on Tribal FootballManchester United could yet have an advantage in the scramble for Juventus fullback Alex Sandro.
Tuttosport says Sandro is in the sights of Chelsea and Manchester United, but also Paris Saint Germain are considering tabling an offer.
Read more on Tribal Football11.46am BST
Brazil have arrived at the Mirage Hotel in Kazan, where they will play Belgium tomorrow. Their fans knew they were coming:
11.38am BST
Neymar’s mum has spoken! These quotes are from an interview with HLN:
As a mother, how do you feel when you see your being kicked around?
It’s difficult. He takes a lot of blows. But I can’t do anything about it. You just have to accept it, it’s part of football. They have already made 23 fouls on him during this tournament ... Compared to all that, I find my son quite brave.
I am quite serene about all that. No matter what the coach of a small team or another team says. I have my opinion, you have yours, everyone has his. Each his profession, I guess. Despite all this, my son will continue to take his responsibilities on the pitch. Thank God, he is feeling well and he continues to be playing well. What matters is my son and what he will do in the future. Not what people are saying.
Frankly, I do not know if the Seleção will win this game. This one will be decided on small details. But I have faith and I am confident. He will play against his team-mate Thomas Meunier, no? I know they get on well. That said, he often has to play against teammates, it does not change anything for him.
Yes. He is feeling good in Paris. He has no reason to leave.
Continue reading...12.21pm BST
As I am reminded on Twitter...and the transfer window closes on July 9.
I believe most premier league clubs returned to pre season training yesterday @johnbrewin_ it never goes away.....
12.17pm BST
Back to real football, and the thrilling news for all Arsenal fans around the world that Calum Chambers has signed an extended contract.
Oh...but what’s this...looks like Riyad Mahrez is off to Manchester City.
(There’s only ten games of the World Cup left before football news becomes like this for the next two years.)
Every World Cup has surprise stars. In 2014, James Rodriguez became a global star thanks to his performances for Colombia. In 2018, Mexico's Hirving Lozano has enjoyed a similar emergence. The 22-year-old has been a star in his home country for several years and played a key role in PSV Eindhoven's Eredivisie title win last season, having a direct hand in almost 30 per cent of his club's league goals. But this summer's World Cup is the first time he has gained appreciation from a worldwide audience.
In his three outings so far, Lozano has scored one goal and assisted one other. He started every single one of Mexico's Group F games, helping his country through to the knockout stages with wins over Germany and South Korea. Next up is Brazil, and an opportunity for the pacey young winger to knock out yet another of the pre-tournament favourites.
Read more on Tribal Football