Several Premier League clubs face the prospect of losing key assets, while others are looking to rebuild. With top-flight football starting to wind down for the off-season, supporters who want to place their bets through a regulated digital bookmaker like Virgin Bet will still have plenty to follow across the summer transfer markets, and here are five of the biggest moves that could shape the division next season.

Anthony Gordon – Newcastle United to Bayern Munich

Anthony Gordon has emerged as one of the most coveted wide players in European football, and Bayern Munich are leading the race for his signature. The 25-year-old has established himself as an England regular and a focal point of Newcastle’s attack, contributing ten goals and two assists in Champions League football alone this season.

Vincent Kompany has given his personal approval for the deal, and Gordon has reportedly informed those close to him that he is open to the move, inspired in part by the successful transition of Michael Olise from the Premier League to the Bundesliga. Newcastle are aware of the interest and have begun identifying potential replacements, though they will not sell cheaply.

Reports suggest the Magpies will demand in the region of £75 million to enter formal negotiations, a fee that could yet open the door for Liverpool and Arsenal, who are also monitoring the situation closely.

Cole Palmer – Chelsea to Manchester United

Few transfers would generate more column inches this summer than Cole Palmer leaving Chelsea for Manchester United. The links are persistent, and the logic is not hard to follow. Palmer has had an uneven season at Stamford Bridge amid the club’s wider dysfunction, and with his family still based in Manchester and no certainty over his World Cup involvement with England, the conditions for a move feel closer than they ever have.

United, pushing for Champions League football under Michael Carrick, would represent a significant step up in ambition for a player widely regarded as one of the most gifted talents of his generation. Chelsea would be reluctant to sell to a direct rival, but their financial model and the need to generate revenue could yet make the unthinkable a serious conversation.

Sandro Tonali – Newcastle United to the Big Six

Sandro Tonali has been one of the Premier League’s standout midfielders since arriving at St. James’ Park, and his agent has publicly suggested that Newcastle represent a stepping stone for a player who should be competing in the Champions League every season.

Arsenal, Manchester United, and Manchester City are all believed to have Tonali high on their lists of midfield targets for the summer, with United currently considered his preferred destination. Newcastle have a contract running until at least 2029 and will demand a fee in the region of £100 million. The possibility of a gentleman’s agreement allowing him to leave if the club fails to secure European football has added further intrigue to a situation that could define Newcastle’s summer.

Morgan Rogers – Aston Villa to Paris Saint-Germain

Morgan Rogers has been one of the standout performers in the Premier League this season, and he has made no secret of the fact that his next move does not have to stay in England. Paris Saint-Germain have been heavily linked with the Villa midfielder, whose ability to carry the ball, create chances, and contribute at both ends of the pitch has drawn admiration from across Europe.

Rogers’ emergence has been one of the stories of the campaign, and Villa would face a significant challenge holding on to a player who has clearly outgrown the idea of remaining in a supporting role. A move to PSG would represent a considerable step up in profile and would signal his arrival as one of Europe’s elite creative midfielders.

Elliot Anderson – Nottingham Forest to Manchester City

City are leading the race for Elliot Anderson, and the 23-year-old looks set to be one of the defining signings of the summer window. The Nottingham Forest midfielder has been a revelation at the City Ground since joining from Newcastle in 2024, and his performances have earned him a firm place in England’s World Cup squad.

Sky Sports News has reported City as the frontrunners, with the club’s interest described as very serious, though Anderson himself is in no rush to resolve his future before the tournament in the United States. A fee in the region of £90 million is being discussed, a figure that reflects both his quality and his status as one of the most coveted homegrown midfielders in the game.

With the FIFA World Cup betting putting them second favourite as well, France are the latest to find themselves in the hot seat, having leapfrogged Spain and Argentina to claim top spot following victories over Brazil and Colombia in the March international window. The question is whether it represents a source of confidence or a poisoned chalice.

For Didier Deschamps, who has already confirmed he will step down at the conclusion of the tournament after almost 15 years in charge, with Zinedine Zidane waiting in the wings, the stakes could hardly be higher. A final tournament, a number one ranking, and a nation expecting a trophy. The pressure is considerable.

A troubling record

The history of the top-ranked nation at each World Cup since the rankings began makes for grim reading.

Germany went into the 1994 tournament in the United States as the world’s top-ranked side and were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Bulgaria, a result that remains one of the era’s great upsets. Four years later in France, Brazil carried the number one tag and reached the final, only to lose to the hosts in one of the most unusual finals in World Cup history, with Ronaldo’s mysterious illness casting a shadow over the occasion.

France themselves have form here. They entered the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea as both world champions and the top-ranked side in the world, and they were eliminated in the group stage without scoring a single goal. It remains one of the most catastrophic collapses in tournament history.

Brazil in 2006 and again in 2010 followed the same pattern. The Selecao arrived as the top-ranked nation on both occasions and were knocked out at the quarter-final stage each time, the latter a particularly painful defeat to the Netherlands in South Africa.

Spain went to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as world and European champions, and the number one-ranked team, and they joined France in the group stage exit hall of shame, beaten by the Netherlands and Chile in their opening two games.

Germany, the eventual winners of that tournament, went into the 2018 World Cup in Russia as top-ranked defending world champions, and they suffered the same humiliating fate, going out in the group stage following defeat to South Korea.

Most recently, Brazil arrived at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as the top-ranked nation and were eliminated at the quarter-final stage, beaten on penalties by Croatia in a match they had led going into the closing stages of extra time.

The pattern

Eight tournaments. One finalist. Two quarter-final eliminations. Four group stage exits. Not a single winner. The top-ranked team has never lifted the World Cup in the history of the FIFA rankings. It is a remarkable and consistent record of underperformance that defies easy explanation but is impossible to ignore.

What it means for France

France are not without genuine cause for optimism. They reached the final in 2022, losing on penalties to Argentina in one of the greatest finals in the tournament’s history, and their squad remains one of the most talented in the world. Kylian Mbappe, despite fitness concerns at club level with Real Madrid, is the defining player of his generation when fit, and the generation of midfielders behind him has matured significantly since Qatar.

But the weight of expectation is real, and the history of the number one ranking at World Cups suggests it brings with it a target rather than a shield. Every opponent will be motivated, every result will be scrutinised, and every slip will be magnified.

Deschamps has navigated pressure before, but this is his final chapter, and France’s players know it. Whether the number one ranking proves to be a foundation for glory or just another entry in a long list of cautionary tales, the tournament this summer will tell us soon enough.

For Thomas Tuchel, maybe it’s a good thing that the Three Lions are neither ranked No.1 in the world or favourite in the England betting markets for the tournaments.

On Monday, May 25, I attended the Unity Cup press conference, where I spoke with Jamaican head coach Rudolph Speid and Reggae Boyz captain Damion Lowe ahead of the tournament.

Rudolph Speid:

We are confident, we have a lot of young talented players that we can choose from. We have the CONCACAF Nations League coming up in September, so it’s a good chance for the younger players to showcase what they can do and I’m hoping they can give the other players some serious competition.

Damion Lowe:

I’m heartbroken not getting to the World Cup, as I’m at the back end of my national career. But it’s time to pave the way for the next generation of players and I hope they can take the nation to the next level.

With the tournament set to showcase established stars and emerging talent, here is your guide to the teams — and the key players to watch.

India

India arrive at the 2026 Unity Cup following a mixed run of results, with inconsistent Asian Cup qualifying form exposing lingering attacking limitations and contributing to a slide to 136th in the FIFA World Rankings. Yet recent performances suggest the Blue Tigers are beginning to stabilise under a more pragmatic identity.

Head coach Khalid Jamil has overseen a tactical shift towards defensive organisation and quick transitions, while integrating fresh domestic talent alongside experienced leaders such as Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali and Lallianzuala Chhangte. Encouraging performances in late 2025 – including a draw against higher-ranked Oman at the CAFA Nations Cup – provided evidence that India are beginning to find greater structure and resilience.

Key player: Ryan Williams is expected to shoulder much of India’s attacking responsibility during the tournament. In March 2026, he made an immediate impact by scoring the fastest goal by an Indian debutant in men’s national team history, finding the net within four minutes against Hong Kong. His movement, energy and finishing could prove decisive if India are to upset higher-ranked opposition.

Jamaica

For Jamaica, the 2026 Unity Cup represents both reflection and renewal. After narrowly missing out on a place at the World Cup, the Reggae Boyz have turned to newly appointed head coach Rudolph Speid to lead the next phase of development.

A 1-0 defeat to DR Congo in the inter-confederation play-offs served as a reminder of the fine margins separating success and disappointment, yet with the CONCACAF Nations League beginning in September, this tournament offers an ideal platform to evaluate emerging talent and establish the foundations of Speid’s squad.

Key player: At just 21-years-old, Bailey Cadamarteri has already established himself as a regular starter for the Reggae Boyz. Blessed with electrifying pace and a direct attacking style, the forward poses a constant threat in transition. Following a standout spell at Sheffield Wednesday, Cadamarteri secured a high-profile winter move to Wrexham.

Nigeria

Nigeria’s Super Eagles arrive at the Unity Cup carrying momentum after securing third place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, further reinforcing their reputation as one of Africa’s football powerhouses. Nigeria edged past Egypt in a dramatic penalty shootout to claim the bronze medal, underlining the squad’s resilience and composure in high-pressure moments.

Combining elite-level experience with emerging attacking talent, the Super Eagles will enter the tournament as favourites to retain their Unity Cup crown, boasting physicality, technical quality and proven tournament pedigree.

Key player: Akor Adams has rapidly developed into a key focal point for the Super Eagles, offering a powerful physical presence alongside intelligent hold-up play and sharp movement in the penalty area. The striker has continued his rise at club level, scoring 10 goals in 31 appearances to help Sevilla preserve their top-flight status and he could be central to Nigeria’s ambitions in London.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s Warriors head into the Unity Cup determined to build on encouraging performances despite an early exit at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, where results arguably failed to reflect their competitiveness.

Although they finished bottom of Group B, Zimbabwe showed resilience by earning a hard-fought draw against Angola and pushing continental heavyweights South Africa and Egypt close before late goals proved decisive in narrow defeats. While greater consistency in key moments remains an area for improvement, the tournament offers an important opportunity to regroup, integrate emerging talent and continue developing a squad capable of competing more consistently on the continental stage.

Key player: Marvelous Nakamba headlines Zimbabwe’s squad as both captain and midfield anchor. The Sheffield Wednesday midfielder brings elite-level leadership and top-flight pedigree, having previously featured in the Premier League with Aston Villa and Luton Town. His composure, ball-winning ability and experience will be crucial if the Warriors are to challenge for the Unity Cup.

Lifting the prestigious trophy would be a fitting way for the newly-crowned Premier League champions to end what has already been a memorable season for the club.

However, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain are the bookmakers’ favourites to be crowned European champions for the second consecutive year.

The oddsmakers at LiveScore Bet rate PSG as 8/13 shots to win the Champions League, while the Gunners are priced at 13/10.

Given the manner of PSG’s performances during the knockout stage, they look a banker bet to defeat Arsenal at the Puskas Arena. Read on as we look at some key talking points ahead of the game.

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Arsenal victory would vindicate €1 billion spend

When Arsenal urged their fans to ‘trust the process’, they were asking for something which is a rare commodity in football – patience.

The club has used the time productively, spending €1 billion on new players over the past five years to build a squad which is fit for purpose.

However, winning the Premier League this season is not enough on its own to justify that sizeable outlay. Winning the Champions League would be.

That will be easier said than done, with PSG a significant level above any team the Gunners have defeated on their way to the final.

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Rice has a chance to silence the doubters

Arsenal’s decision to sign Declan Rice from West Ham United for £100 million plus add-ons in 2023 was a move designed to turn them into serial winners.

It has taken three years for the England midfielder to get his hands on silverware and many people remain unconvinced about him.

In fairness to Rice, he has had a strong season for the Gunners. However, he has yet to produce the type of performance befitting a £100m player.

The Champions League final offers him an opportunity to rewrite the narrative. If he dominates the midfield and Arsenal win the game, it will have been money well spent.

Flat-track bully or the final piece in the jigsaw?

Having finishing runners-up in the Premier League for the previous three seasons, Arsenal desperately needed to sign a prolific striker.

They chose Viktor Gyokeres to be the final piece in the jigsaw and he has helped them win the title in his first season. Despite this, not everyone is convinced by him.

The Swedish striker has padded his statistics with goals against struggling teams and penalties. His tally of five goals in 12 Champions League appearances is underwhelming.

Gyokeres is in the same boat as Rice. If he ends the season as a Champions League winner, no one can question Arsenal’s decision to buy him.

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PSG present a major challenge to Arsenal

PSG’s 5-0 demolition job on Inter Milan in last year’s final was one of the best performances ever produced at the end of a major competition.

The Ligue 1 giants reached that final by defeating Arsenal home and away in the last four. They dominated both games on that occasion.

The battle was ultimately won in midfield, where Vitinha, Joao Neves and Fabian Ruiz left Rice and his teammates chasing shadows.

PSG defeated Chelsea and Liverpool on their way to the final this season, so know what it takes to beat the top teams in the Premier League.

As the 36 teams completed eight matches each, a number of players stood out across all positions. From strikers banging in goals to defenders and goalkeepers keeping rivals at bay, here are the best performers from the league phase.

Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe was the most influential attacking player of the league phase. The Real Madrid forward finished as the competition’s leading goalscorer with 13 goals in seven appearances. He also broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for most goals scored in a Champions League league phase, which previously stood at 11.  

His standout moment came against Olympiacos, where he scored a hat-trick in just seven minutes, making it the second–fastest hat-trick in Champions League history. Mbappe was only 30 seconds slower than Mohamed Salah, who still holds the record.

His finishing, movement and consistency ensured Madrid progressed, even though they fell short of automatic qualification.

Harry Kane

Harry Kane continued to show why he remains one of Europe’s most reliable strikers. The Bayern Munich forward scored eight goals across the league phase and combined his finishing with intelligent link-up play, frequently dropping deep to bring others into the game.

Kane’s goals were spread across multiple matches, underlining his consistency and helping Bayern finish comfortably inside the top eight.

Dominik Szoboszlai

In midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai was one of the most complete performers. The Liverpool midfielder contributed either a goal or an assist in seven of the eight league games, while also covering significant ground off the ball.

His ability to arrive late in the box and deliver from set pieces made him a key figure in Liverpool’s progression, while his defensive work helped maintain balance in midfield.

Vitinha

Vitinha played a crucial role for Paris Saint-Germain during the league phase. Operating primarily in central midfield, he scored five goals across the eight matches, with three of those coming from strikes outside the penalty area.

His ability to control possession, progress the ball through midfield and contribute goals from distance was central to PSG’s attacking play. Vitinha’s performances helped the reigning champions collect enough points to reach the knockout play-offs despite missing out on automatic qualification.

Virgil van Dijk

Defensively, Virgil van Dijk stood out as the most dominant centre-back of the league phase. The Liverpool captain contributed two goals and two assists while anchoring a defence that recorded fourclean sheets.

His aerial dominance and reading of the game allowed Liverpool to control matches and limit chances against them.

Alejandro Grimaldo

Alejandro Grimaldo impressed at left-back for Bayer Leverkusen, offering consistent attacking output from deep. His four goals and one assist highlighted his ability to influence matches at both ends of the pitch.

Micky van de Ven

Micky van de Ven was one of Tottenham’s most effective performers during the league phase. The centre-back scored two goals, which made him the joint second-highest scorer for Spurs in the competition.

The standout moment was his solo goal against Copenhagen, where he carried the ball from deep inside his own half before finishing, a goal that has been widely referenced among the best of the league phase.

Defensively, Van de Ven was equally important, playing a key role in four of Tottenham’s six clean sheets through his recovery pace, positioning and ability to defend large spaces.

Guglielmo Vicario

In goal, Guglielmo Vicario delivered a series of commanding performances for Tottenham. He kept five clean sheets in his last six games and made a total of 23 saves during the league phase, particularly in tight away fixtures. His distribution also helped Spurs build from the back with confidence.

Nick Pope

Nick Pope was another standout goalkeeper. The Newcastle United keeper recorded multiple clean sheets and produced a number ofhigh-quality saves, including a decisive penalty stop against PSG. He also got a rare assist in the game against Benfica, with a 65-yard throw helping Harvey Barnes to find the back of the net.

David Raya

David Raya delivered a highly consistent league phase for Arsenal. The goalkeeper recorded five clean sheets and conceded just two goals across his appearances, providing a stable foundation for Arsenal’s unbeaten run.

But the epic rise of BATE Borisov was followed by an equally epic collapse, though they are on the brink of a return to the top table having just won their first silverware in five years.

Rise and fall

Back-to-back promotions in 1996/97 saw the Minsk region team hit the Belarusian top flight, where they then finished second and first, in the following two seasons. There would ‘only’ be one more league title in the following six campaigns, before it clicked. They did, as is now known in Belarus, the ‘unlucky 13-in-a-row’ from 2006 to 2018. When I first reported on them for BPF, mid-pomp, there were worries about the club’s stability and future, the next time, it was game over.

Last season, I got to cover a few of their games and went behind the scenes while shooting a sports series, and spoke with club officials. Their ‘new’ stadium remains one of the most futuristic and impressive I’ve ever visited. Great views from everywhere, lovely grounds, yet this year they played their ‘home’ cup game at the Energetik Stadium in Minsk. Having invested tens of millions into a superb stadium and training base, they didn’t include an all-weather ground for springtime, when most natural grass surfaces in Belarus are unplayable.

That they were playing near neighbours Torpedo-Belaz Zhodino, who also don’t have a reserve stadium capable of hosting matches in spring, is a definite knock on both clubs. A week previous, Torpedo, perennial cup pretenders, had to host BATE at the tidy Dinamo-Yuni Stadium in Minsk. ‘Yuni’ is the home of Dinamo Minsk’s reserve and women’s teams. It’s far from the top tier.

Back to BATE, after three runners-up spots, last year the club sank to 10th place in the table and looked like being relegated at one point. Losing at home to the relegated and terribly inadequate Molodechno was. The newly promoted side, also from the Minsk region, were woefully poor. Interestingly, the team who came up with them, ML (Maxline) Vitebsk, went on to win the Premier League. Maxline, a betting company, owns the club and avoids the regulations for maximum player payments that state-owned/sponsored clubs like BATE, Torpedo, and Dinamo Minsk face. 2025 was one of the weakest domestic seasons in Belarus and only for being marginally less awful than four other clubs, BATE would be back in the second tier with financial, management, and infrastructural issues. And then…

Green buds in Borisov

Last season the club grabbed the impressive, if fragile, Ivorian attacker Yao Jean Charles (aka JC) from Russia’s SKA Khabarovsk. Pacey and skillful with a superb left foot, Charles and youth product Vlad Yatskevich (22) saved them. In the second leg of the cup tie with Torpedo in March, JC scored a screamer from 25 yards that set the club up for a 2-1 aggregate win. As good as the African is, the crop of youngsters from their youth system, who grew up knowing only glory, are a promising supporting cast.

Nikita Neskoromny (20) is a very tidy defender getting more game time as the club don’t have the cash to splash on older players. He rejected trials this off-season with top clubs in Russia, Austria, and Holland. Nikolay Mirsky (20) impressed against Torpedo and will eventually find himself as an attacking midfielder, with the ball control and speed to make an impact anywhere. Midfielder Egor Rusakov (19) is already on the radar of Wisla Krakow and VfB Stuttgart. And these ‘kids’ have brought fans back to the club.

Back to basics

The massive amount of kids following BATE was pointed out by a former colleague at the Torpedo game. Lots of kids, brought up on songs and stories of great deeds at home and abroad. Draws with Juventus in 2008, beating Everton away in 2009 and Roma in 2015, and those 13 championships. The hunger in Borisov is back, off the field as well. And it paid dividends in Saturday’s cup final.

Having won 5 leagues with BATE as a player, Artem Kontsevoy cut his teeth as a youth coach with the club before getting the top job last July. He knows the talent and potential in the pipeline and is keen to develop it. His assistant Vladimir Nevinsky was a player in the early days of BATE’s rise, before becoming part of the club’s coaching staff. Kontsevoy was coached by him and was keen to keep him at the club when he took over.

Another senior coach, Dmitry Likhtarovich, is a former BATE star who won 11 leagues with the club before retiring in 2015. He immediately joined the reserve team coaching staff and was promoted to the first team in 2020. BATE have gone back to basics with their coaching system, using the old ‘Liverpool Boot Room’ method which the late Anatoly Kapski, the club founder and chair, espoused and that BPF was the first outlet to point out in 2012!

Kapsky’s son, Andrey, has finally begun to get to grips with being chairman. Financial worries have been eased by agreeing long term tenancy at the stadium, along with a solid sponsorship deal with a betting company. The latter saw heated debate among club followers, though as one fan leader told me – “Just to keep the first team together and not lose players to Lithuania or Kazakhstan, we need to do such a deal, even with a devil.”

Can’t win with kids

At the game with Torpedo and in the stadium on Saturday, I heard the oft-used Alan Hansen bit about kids not being able to win. As one BATE fan organiser told me:

Too many false starts, corners to turn and moment to be excited. I agree giving young academy players games, but look at Vitebsk [league champs ML], they bring in a famous Jamaican for lots of money, how do we compete with that? With kids!

The Jamaican is Shamar Nicholson (29), the Caribbean island’s sixth top goal scorer and mainstay of the national team. He arrived in Belarus on a loan deal from Mexican club Tijuana, who pay 90% of his salary. Having seen Nicholson in the flesh, with Spartak Moscow, he may have found his level. A big, strong forward, he was routinely embarrassed by solid, unspectacular Russian defenders.

In fairness, he showed little glimpses of promise before the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, but usually was poor.

BATE can’t afford themselves luxuries like expensive imports and are now trying to live within their meagre means. On Saturday they were terrible in the first half against giant Dinamo Minsk, before replaced JC with 19-year-old Kirill Apanasevich. Kirill, who moved from Dinamo last year, ran from half-way to coolly slot home the equaliser. In one of the best halves of football I’ve seen in years, both sides did enough to win, before it went to extra-time and penalties. The ‘Yellow-Blues’ held their nerves to win 8-7 and not one person there begrudged them.

Afterwards, the BATE fan organiser messaged me. She had been furiously posting on Instagram and told me that “this means more than the 13 leagues. We are almost back.”

BATE and Dinamo will begin their UEFA Conference League adventures in the 1st qualifying round, along with Bohemians and Glentoran, though have to play their ‘home’ ties in a neutral venue due to UEFA sanctions. The decision to not ban Belarusian clubs is seen as a ‘win’ for many in the country, though the kids who cheered their heroes to victory on Saturday won’t get to enjoy a ‘European night,’ for now.

And if BATE can keep this current crop together and add in a couple more experienced foreigners like ex-Chelsea player Victorien Angban, in the next two seasons they’ll win the league.

Manchester United travelled to The Dell in confident mood. Southampton, by contrast, were fighting to stay out of the relegation zone. What followed in the first half turned the form book on its head, as Southampton astonishingly found themselves 3-0 up as they entered the tunnel….the game finished 3-1.

Elsewhere that afternoon Chelsea (a mid-table team then) thrashed an abject looking Leeds side 4-1 at Stamford Bridge. In Leeds United’s last home game, a 3-1 reversal against Nottingham Forest on Easter Monday, their under fire manager Howard Wilkinson had to endure a gauntlet of abuse from the home supporters as he made his way to the tunnel.

Leeds’ next game was at Old Trafford a few days afterwards.

Sorry readers, always wanted to do an episode recap!

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While the weekend described last time out is best remembered for Manchester United changing their kit at half time, it also served to reopen the title race. Newcastle, having picked up just seven points from the last 24 available, entered the weekend trailing Manchester United by six points, albeit with a game in hand, however, they faced an Aston Villa side riding high after winning the League Cup and on course for a fourth place finish.

Given the respective form of the teams involved, if anybody was expected to drop points that weekend, it was Newcastle. If they had done so, and Manchester United had got the job done at the Dell as had been widely expected, the gap would have been at least eight points, Newcastle having just four matches in which to try to bridge this chasm. The race would have effectively been over.

Instead, perhaps buoyed by Southampton’s surprise victory, the next day, the United of Newcastle beat Villa 1-0 in front of the Super Sunday cameras (“Ferdinand flew into the middle, and the ball flew into the Villa net”) to close the gap on the United of Manchester to just three points, with a game in hand and a similar goal difference. It was all to play for again, the pressure on both managers immense.

Wednesday, 17 April 1996

Both teams were in action again, Manchester United against Leeds United as already mentioned, while ironically Newcastle faced their title rival’s previous opponent, Southampton. The co-incidences would keep on coming as Newcastle’s next match after this would be Leeds.

As stated last time,  Leeds’ league season had fallen apart, their Tony Yeboah inspired early season form that had seen them considered early title contenders now consigned to the past, they had slumped into the bottom half of the table, the pressure increasing after their humbling in the League Cup Final in late March by Newcastle’s previous opponents, Aston Villa.

Howard Wilkinson had taken them from the Second Division to Champions just four years earlier, but now his days as Leeds manager looked increasingly numbered as their recent performances and results drew ire from their disgruntled supporters.

Against this backdrop, it should have been an easy victory for Manchester United, back on their home ground (and with their home shirts on!), made even easier little over a quarter of an hour into the game when Leeds’ goalkeeper Mark Beeney was sent off for handling outside the box. With no specialist in that position on the bench, central defender Lucas Radebe donned the goalkeeper’s jersey for the remainder of the game. Over 70 minutes against 10 men, with an outfield player in goal, an onslaught was expected to follow.

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Instead, Leeds defended solidly, protecting Radebe’s goal well, and came close to breaking the deadlock a couple of times themselves, most notably when Archie Gray’s father, Andy, hit a good low shot from long range, Peter Schmeichel at full stretch to save it.

However, the Old Trafford side wore their opponents down. In the 72^nd minute, Roy Keane cleverly made space for a shot and drilled a low effort that saw Radebe beaten. The game ended 1-0, and while disappointed with the outcome, the travelling Leeds supporters could have no complaints about their player’s efforts in very trying circumstances. If anything, it could add to their unhappiness with their team that the level of performance on display that night had been so lacking in recent weeks.

Alex Ferguson acknowledged this in his post-match interview, one which would cause dramatic repercussions 12 days later.

Why are they not up in the top six? I just don’t understand it. Good players there, and if they produced effort like that, they would be in the top six, but of course, you’d think for some of them, it’s more important to get a result against Manchester United and stop them from winning the league than anything else, which, to me, they’re cheating their manager, that’s all it is. Of course, when they come to Newcastle, you wait and see the difference. You know. It’s sad to say that, but I’m very disappointed with Leeds.

These comments would not go unnoticed by Newcastle, who, for their part, also gained three points that night. Like the United of Manchester, they won 1-0 at home to a struggling side, with a central midfielder showing excellent composure in the box to make the breakthrough – in their case, Rob Lee.

So it was ‘as-you-were’ – Newcastle win their game in hand and the two sides would be level at the top, the goal difference too close to call.

First Southampton and then Leeds were to play Newcastle immediately after Manchester Untied. The extraordinary coincidences kept coming as a third consecutive opponent, Nottingham Forest, were also due to play them both in this order in the space of a few days.

Forest would in fact welcome Newcastle to the City Ground twice in a week, as they were the guests for Stuart Pearce’s testimonial just four days after the 1995/96 league season concluded.

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Frustratingly for all, there was then an international break for England to play a friendly, despite there only being one week of the season remaining afterwards. It would be 11 and 12 days respectively before these two sides were back in action again. Talk about building the suspense.

During this downtime, reports had emerged that Alex Ferguson had questioned the timing of Newcastle’s two trips to the City Ground, suggesting that it presented a conflict of interest as Nottingham Forest would prefer Newcastle to be welcomed for Stuart Pearce’s testimonial as champions, and might therefore go easy on them in the upcoming league game.

However, if anybody had an easy time against Forest, it was Manchester United, who thrashed them 5-0 at Old Trafford on Super Sunday, ahead of Newcastle’s trip to Leeds the next night. This emphatic result gave Ferguson’s men (and fledglings) a significant advantage in goal difference, with Newcastle having to win both their games in hand to even be level on points. Even winning all three of their remaining matches now might not be enough.

For the Magpies, the title, which had seemed a certainty until mid-February, and was tantalisingly back on the table after the events of the grey shirts weekend, was now slipping away again. The pressure-cooker had hit boiling point and Newcastle were about to crack.

About to blow

Just as they had in their previous league outing, Leeds gave their title chasing opponents  a difficult time, hitting the woodwork twice, however, Newcastle would be victorious, as, like their title rivals, they edged them out with a 1-0, Newcastle’s first away win, incidentally, since mid-February, when their Asprilla inspired success at Middlesbrough’s new Riverside Stadium saw them maintain their nine point lead with a game in hand.

The coincidences continued as Manchester United’s final (and only remaining) league game was at this ground. With Manchester United enjoying a much better goal-difference, Newcastle would in all likelihood have to rely on Middlesbrough to take points off the Red Devils if they were to stand a chance of still lifting the title that had seemed an inevitability until the final stretch of the season.

Perhaps the pressure of the situation proved the catalyst behind what was to come next.

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Alex Ferguson’s comments after Leeds’ recent visit to Old Trafford –  if he was attempting so-called mind-games, they had backfired. If anything, they had the worst of both worlds – Leeds proved the criticism wrong by giving the United of Newcastle as tough a game as they’d given their Manchester counterparts, but Newcastle still winning.

If Keegan, and everyone else affiliated with Newcastle, had said nothing, they’d arguably had been considered to have “won” this particular off-field battle. Even calmly  pointing out that the desperation of trying to shame Leeds into getting a result against Newcastle had been proved inaccurate and also in vain, then Keegan could have been considered to have had the upper hand in any perceived psychological war that was going on.

Instead, Newcastle’s manager entered the post-match interview in a combative mood. Even before the now infamous missive, he began saying “don’t you have to send Alex Ferguson a tape of this game?…”. While Sky could be accused of sensationalising the incident since then, and they have previous for stirring up rivalries and taking other incidents out of context or blowing them out of proportion, in this instance it must be said that the interviewer did nothing to inflame or provoke Keegan, if anything trying to diffuse the situation by saying “surely though that’s part of the mind-games…” only for the Newcastle manager to continue to rant over him.

“We’re playing Forest on Thursday, and he objected to that! Now that game was fixed up four months ago, we were supposed to be playing Notts Forest.”

(when the interviewer tries to step in and calm the situation)

No. When you do things like that about footballers like he (Alex Ferguson) said about Leeds, and when you do things like that about a man like Stuart Pearce…I’ve kept really quiet, but I can tell you, he went down in my estimation when he said that. We have not resorted to that. And I tell you, if he’s watching this, we’re still fighting for this title, and he’s gotta go to Middlesbrough and get something, and I’ll tell you, honestly, I will love it if we beat them. Love it.

Aware that this has already developed into a long-form piece, and aware that I’m already two weeks late with this article (I was hoping to submit before the 30^th anniversary of this incident, on April 29), I will save analysis and myth-busting for next time.

All I’ll say for now is that supporters of Nottingham Forest, while unhappy at the implications that they might effectively throw the game against Newcastle,  would have potentially been more offended at Keegan referring to them as “Notts Forest” during the interview!

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is guaranteed to generate the most wagering activity given its status as the most prestigious international football tournament on the planet.

Punters will be clamouring to find the best World Cup betting offers to boost their bankroll for gambling on markets such as tournament winners or top goalscorer.

With that in mind, read on as we assess why it is prudent to pay attention to World Cup history when trying to predict who will lift the trophy this summer.

World Cup 2026 – Big guns fancied to shine

The outright betting for the World Cup paints an intriguing picture for sports bettors. Before we delve further, here is a look at the latest odds:

Of the seven teams listed at the top of the market on the best World Cup betting sites, six of them are previous winners of the tournament.

Portugal are the only team amongst that group who have never won the title. However, they did emerge victorious at the 2016 European Championship.

Ultimately, the odds suggest that a track record of success in major tournaments will play a key role in determining the outcome this summer.

Spain are the bookmakers’ favourites to win their second World Cup following their hugely impressive performances at Euro 2024.

La Roja won all seven games without needing penalties, a record at the European Championship. They defeated every other European nation who have ever won a World Cup along the way.

Joint-second favourites England will come in for plenty of support from sports bettors this summer, but they are unlikely to deliver a winning return.

The Three Lions’ only previous success in the World Cup was on home soil in 1966 and they have repeatedly fallen short in major tournaments since then.

By contrast, France are rated as 11/2 shots alongside England and should be capable of giving Spain a good run for their money this summer.

After winning the World Cup in 2018 and reaching the final four years ago, France will rightly fancy their chances of making a deep run at the tournament.

Defending champions Argentina should also be a force to be reckoned with as they strive to lift the trophy for the fourth time.

Veteran playmaker Lionel Messi has shown little sign of slowing down and he will be eager to make his final appearance on the biggest stage a memorable one.

Five-time winners Brazil are also worthy of respect. Manager Carlo Ancelotti’s previous track record of success in club football should not be underestimated.

Punters searching for teams who could make an impact at longer odds this summer should look no further than Norway and Belgium.

Norway were superb during qualifying, scoring 37 goals in eight games. Manchester City striker Erling Braut Haaland tallied 16 goals during the campaign.

Belgum could also be dangerous. While many of their so-called ‘golden generation’ are no longer around, the Red Devils still have an extremely strong squad.

His range of passing is simply ridiculous, he could drop between the lines and break a team down with two or three touches and formed the most prolific duo in Premier League history. And just before people start arguing, they have the most goal contributions between a duo in Premier League history with 47. Along with a host of other records such a most goals for England national team, most headed goals in a Premier League season, Tottenham’s all-time top goal scorer and my personal favourite, most goals in North London Derbies.

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During his time with Spurs, Kane was somewhat disrespected. His numbers speak for themself but his lack of silverware was always a sore spot. Second all time Premier League goal scorer with one Champions League and two Carabao Cup runners up medals were all he had to show for his time. I hate to break it to people who want to hold that over his head, it’s not his fault. Under his most successful manager at Spurs, Pochettino, there was never a budget to improve the impressive starting 11 they had. After that, it was just short term fix after short term fix, none of which has or currently have worked. That’s an article for another day.

However, since making his move to Bayern Munich, people are finally starting to fully realise the extent of what Kane is. Right now, the best player in the world. In the Bundesliga, he has scored 93 goals in 89 appearances. Even if people want to argue to quality around the rest of the league, the rate of his scoring is remarkable. He has already reached 50 goals in all competitions this season and is currently sitting at 10th all time in Bayern Munich’s goal scoring list with 133 goals, including two massive goals against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter final. He also holds a World Cup golden boot is his back pocket and will be looking for another one this summer when England embark on another tournament in search of their first trophy since 1966.

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Kane’s credential’s for all the top individual awards are already there. It’s the team award section of the Ballon d’Or where he needs to box off to ensure it’s all wrapped up. The domestic title was secured this past weekend after Bayern put Stuttgart to the sword at the Allianz Arena in a 4-2 win that guaranteed them the top spot with four games to spare. They are also massive favourites to overcome Bayer Leverkusen in DFB Pokal semi final, and I think it’s safe to say they are looking likely to wrap up the double.

Their main focus and by far the toughest opponent they will have all season is Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi final. Last year’s winners picked up where they left off in the competition and have ploughed through the rounds with their expected ruthlessness and are eyeing up their first back to back Champions League triumph. The two legged affair will hopefully be the one we all expect. The two sides are the most exciting in Europe at the minute and go completely against what we are seeing from so many teams in England at the minute. The attacking players on both sides have been a joy to watch all throughout and carry a fearlessness to constantly get at the opposition and try to open them up.

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Bayern’s playstyle under Kompany is so fascinating. Many times we see the likes of Serge Gnabry or Michael Olise in a centre backs position picking up the ball while Konrad Laimer is in the ten position looking for the ball. Their constant changing of position and willingness to allow players to drift and get the ball wherever they feel comfortable is the perfect system for Harry Kane to thrive.

At times we have seen him drop far enough to start attacks with his technique and range of passing becoming the catalyst in which the German giants can start their attacking sequences. A lot of the time he will drop deep enough that the centre halves don’t want to come out of position, get involved in the play but then will remain on the outskirts of the play. Rather than making a bursting run into the box to get on to the end of the cross, he hangs behind the runs of Gnabry, Luis Diaz or Aleksandar Pavlovic and finds himself at the edge of the box ready to place the ball in whichever corner he chooses.

For Bayern’s second goal at the Bernabéu, Kane does it again to perfection. Olise picks up the ball on the right and starts to cut into the box, by the time he has done this Diaz, Gnabry and Pavlovic are already making runs towards the goal, whereas their number 9 is slowly making his way up the pitch, around 30 yards from goal. When Olise plays the pass to set Kane, he is in the perfect position, at the edge of the D ready to calmly slot the ball low and passed the outstretched hand of Andriy Lunin. A perfect finish that highlights Bayern’s style of attacking football and how they utilise the England skipper’s best qualities.

Go through the goals he’s scored this season and see how many he’s simply passed into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. So many players in those positions smash the ball or look for the top corner, but Kane has perfected his finishing and it is paying off.

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His Ballon d’Or hopes, in my eyes, really do rest on the Champions League and/or the World Cup. The PSG tie will be a fascinating one but if they can manage to knock off the Champions I think they will beat either Arsenal or Atletico. Kane will finally have the Champions League that he has been craving and I think that solidifies his credentials to take home the trophy.

If they can’t get over the line in this one, a lot of his chances rest on the World Cup. I don’t think England have the full squad to be able to go all the way and I think it’s France’s tournament to lose, with the depth they have across the board, they should have too much to beat anyone they come up against. If France win the World Cup and PSG win the Champions League, does Dembele win the award again? Although he hasn’t been better than Kane this season, there is a case to be made for the Frenchman if PSG win the Champions League and he wins the World Cup in a starring role.

For Kane, it has to be one of those two competitions, plus maybe a World Cup Golden Boot too. Unfortunately, actually playing as the best player throughout the season won’t be enough, even though it should. But Bayern will be just as hard to beat as PSG will be so maybe it all falls in the right way for the former king of Tottenham.

He deserves it in my eyes and it will finally be the ultimate recognition that he deserves and cement him as one of the finest strikers we have ever seen.

There’s no need to delve on the mistakes of what happened and chances missed because then this will just be a piece on the depression that football gives us sometimes. At present, the torment of a penalty shoot out loss on Thursday night remains at the forefront of the Boys in Green’s minds, but let’s hope they can realise soon that a Euro 2028 campaign on home soil is a massive opportunity.

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At the start of November, Ireland were gone. We had no hope of qualification until two massive, dramatic wins against Portugal and Hungary. Giving Irish fans a few of the best nights as fans we’ve had in years. Those results brought the feel good factor back to the team and saved the job of Heimir Hallgrímsson. With the dentist in the chair until Euro 2028 at least, it’s time to look ahead at what we could do, rather than what could’ve been done.

Ireland aren’t qualified for the tournament just yet, but they have been given a far easier road to entry than they have in any competition before. Per Sky Sports, there are a few ways for Ireland to get through;

All four host countries will go through qualification, with two automatic places set aside for the best-ranked host nations who do not qualify on the pitch.

If at least two of England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland qualify, then all four nations will appear in the tournament.

Depending on the number of spots used by the host nations, the number of final tournament spots decided by play-offs may vary between two and four, in one of the three following scenarios:

Both reserved qualifying slots for the hosts used: Eight teams compete in two paths for two final tournament spots, with single-leg semi-finals and finals.

One reserved qualifying slot for the hosts used: Twelve teams compete in three paths for three final tournament spots, with single-leg semi-finals and finals.

No reserved qualifying slot for the hosts used: Eight teams contest four home-and-away play-off ties, with the winners advancing to the final tournament.

In essence, it would take a massive f*ck up for us not to be there. So how about we start getting excited. Firstly, our core players will still be around and in and around their ‘prime’ years, hopefully in the best years of their career’s. Caomhin Kelleher, Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea, Liam Scales, Jason Molumby, Jason Knight, Finn Azaz, Troy Parrott, Adam Idah, Jake O’Brien, Harvey Vale, James Abankwah, and Bosun Lawal were all involved in this squad and goalkeeper Kelleher will be the oldest of them all at that stage, at only 29-years-old.

There is already a core group of excellent, young players who will only continue to develop and get better before the tournament is afoot. Unfortunately, it looks like Seamus Coleman will be retired by then and what a shame it is. Also, by that stage, Chiedozie Ogbene will be in his 30s, hopefully still being able to offer us his pace up top in a steely veteran role, along with the currently injured Josh Cullen.

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As well as that, we could even look at the players who weren’t involved in the last two outings. The aforementioned Cullen is one, but the big one is obviously Evan Ferguson. The striker seemed to start well at Roma before picking up a series of injuries that has eventually led to him sitting out the rest of the season. Expect a summer move for the Drogheda born striker and a way for him to regain his form and find his way back into the international set up.

Jack Taylor may be another steady eddy in midfield by the time the tournament rolls around. Festy Ebosele and Mikey Johnston will be disappointed that they couldn’t be involved this time around but if they can get consistent on their club form they could force their way back into the set up. Someone who we seemed to have forgotten about is Andrew Omobamidele. Now plying his trade in Strasbourg after a not so successful spell at Nottingham Forest, he still boasts an array of talent. Quick and strong, he has now cemented himself at the heart of an exciting Strasbourg side and is back to his best. Many were surprised that he wasn’t included in this squad and with John Egan likely hanging up his Irish jersey soon, it’s time to get him back into the fold.

More excitingly are the youngsters who we have heard so much about. A lot of this is hopeful thinking and praying that these players can fulfill the potential that us fans have heaped on them.

Firstly, exciting winger Rocco Vata. The exciting winger broke into Watford’s first team last season and finished the year with three goals and four assists. This term has been less than fruitful with only 12 appearances in the Championship but has contributed with two goals and two assists. He had a bad hamstring injury that kept him out until November and could only play until January before re-aggravating the same injury that required surgery and will now keep him out until the end of the season. A tough break for the 20- year old who was really starting to come into his own and show what he can do. He already has 1 cap under his belt and will be hoping that he can return to his best and push his way into Heimir’s plans.

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Next up are the tale of two young goal scorers, bled from the League of Ireland. Mason Melia and Michael Noonan are two players who have lit up our own Premier Division with their youthful energy, class and finishing from such a young age. Both players have been given the same treatment as Parrott and Ferguson, in so far as they are young strikers who Irish fans and media have hyped up to make it to super stardom.

Melia has made his move to Spurs for a record fee and it seems that Noonan’s last year playing for Shamrock Rovers is the current one. Melia will probably be looking to go out on loan to get some game time if he can’t push his way into Tottenham’s first team and same with Noonan if he doesn’t find first team football wherever he lands. However, if both players can get into first teams and start showing their class early, who knows if they could be involved? This one may be a stretch for the two lads and perhaps the World Cup in 2030 is more realistic but why not be optimistic about it.

A player who’s career has showed flashes of breaking out is Andrew Moran. The technically gifted midfielder has yet to put his stamp on senior football after a hugely successful term in Brighton’s youth ranks. He had two seasons in the Championship with Blackburn Rovers (2023/24) and Stoke City (2024/25) where he made 70 appearances over the two seasons and contributed 15 goals and assists. During those terms he showed his class in midfield and what he can offer when given a run of games.

Unfortunately, with all Brighton & Hove Albion’s quality around his area of the pitch he couldn’t break into their first team squad and found himself out on loan with Heung Min Son at LAFC. Quite a strange loan move to Major League Soccer saw him make only ten appearances before a permanent deal to Preston. This is where Moran needs to finally make a mark. This move could kick his career off in a way so many expected and finally get him consistent first team minutes. Moran is a creative player and could become an integral part of the Irish side as these types of players are the ones we tend to lack, if he can get consistent minutes with Preston. I think come the next qualifying campaign, he will be right in the mix of it and be pushing to be in the midfield just behind Parrott and Ferguson.

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What about a certain super Jacky Moylan? After impressing during his stint with Shelbourne, the former Bohs academy graduate has made the move to Lincoln City and has improved every season since landing in League One. This year, by far his most impressive, notching an impressive 9 goals and 5 assists in 26 league games, the most important goal coming against Reading at the weekend. In the 96th minute he broke away from the home side defence and kept his composure to fire his side back into the second tier of the English football pyramid for the first time in 65 years. A massive moment for the young Dub who will surely be setting his sights on continuing this form in the Championship and having a go at the international set up too.

There are also the likes of Cathal Heffernan and Jaden Umeh who starred in Ireland’s u19 World Cup campaign last year who will need to push on at their clubs if they are to start to make their marks, but both have hugely exciting careers ahead of them.

It’s a bright future for Irish football in my eyes. Perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself on this one but it’s better to look forward than reminisce on what could’ve and probably should’ve been. I like the thought of Ireland in the Aviva in their first game at a major competition since the Euro’s campaign of 2016. Kelleher still guarding the goals. A back five of Jake O’Brien, Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea, Andrew Omobamidele and Liam Scales. Jason Molumby to anchor the midfield and protect the defense with the likes of Vale, Moran, Cullen or Azaz just in front of him and the two golden boys Parrott and Ferguson up top.

Maybe a few changes in midfield to a more defensive set up with Lawal or Knight but in my somewhat delusional dreamland here I see us playing on the front foot and really getting at teams. Nonetheless, delusional or not, us fans can afford to get excited for what’s to come and we could really see that side stamp it’s mark at Euro 2028.