Football News

Diaby moves from the pitch to the touchline Saturdays at 5.15pm. That is where Abou Diaby lands next. Ligue1+ held its pre-season press conference on Wednesday, and the French league broadcaster used it to confirm a string of new arrivals. Diaby was the biggest name on the list. The former France midfielder won 16 caps…

Dortmund, Arsenal, Milan, now Le Mans Le Mans FC confirmed Raul Torrente’s arrival this morning. The 24-year-old Spanish centre-back comes in on loan with an option to buy from Dinamo Zagreb, having been in town since Monday sorting out the last details. He is not stepping up from nowhere. Torrente locked down a starting berth…

Five years for the Costa Rican Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace confirmed Jeyland Mitchell’s arrival on Wednesday morning. The 21-year-old Costa Rica international comes in from SK Sturm Graz on a contract running to 2031, a full five years. No fee was disclosed by the club, though the deal is understood to sit around 8…

One year in Madrid, and out Matteo Ruggeri lasted about twelve months at Atletico Madrid. The 24-year-old Italian left-back completed a permanent switch to Aston Villa on Wednesday morning, with Atletico banking somewhere near 20 million euros. Villa’s announcement runs to two lines. Deal done, Europa League winner with Atalanta in 2024, welcome. No contract…

Seven games in seven months Seven appearances. That is the whole of Mamadou Sarr’s Chelsea career since he arrived from Strasbourg in January, and it is nowhere near enough for a 20-year-old centre-back who needs games far more than he needs a London postcode. Foot Mercato report the Senegal international will almost certainly move on…

Thirty million euros, and a seat on the bench George Ilenikhena was meant to be one of the faces of Al-Ittihad’s project. AS Monaco cashed 30 million euros to send him to the Gulf, a heavy fee for a Nigerian striker with fewer than 30 senior games behind him. It has not gone to plan.…

Nine million from a second-tier club Nine million euros, bonuses included. That is what SC Paderborn 07 have reportedly put on the table for Alan Virginius, according to Foot Mercato. The bonus detail matters when the numbers climb this high. Paderborn sit in Bundesliga 2. Outlays of that size are rare down there, and the…

Michael Carrick averaged 2.29 points per game after replacing Ruben Amorim and got Manchester United back into the Champions League. Now he has to repeat it across 48 matches with a squad that barely changed.

Chelsea have collected more cards than any Premier League club since 2023. Xabi Alonso inherits that, the youngest squad in the division, and a season with no European football to hide behind.