After the Dutch giants turned down an offer from Premier League team Everton, Ghanaian starlet Mohammed Kudus is expected to remain at Ajax.
Ajax are keen on keeping the the 22-year-old attacking midfielder since they have big plans for him and that he has a future at the club.
The Dutch champions are also not ready to listen any other offers for Kudus, insisting they won’t sell or loan the highly-rated youngster at any price.
The Black Stars midfielder has reportedly agreed personal terms with Everton and is interested in a move away from the Johan Cruijff Arena this summer.
Kudus is seeking for more playing minutes as the FIFA World Cup in Qatar this year is getting closer. He wants to keep in form and shape for the Mundial which kicks off in November.
The summer transfer window will shut in the midnight of Thursday, September 1, 2022 and the Toffees are expected to make another offer to Ajax.
Kudus signed for Ajax in July 2020 from Danish club FC Nordsjaelland for a fee around 9 million Euros after a blistering two-year spell in the Danish Superliga.
He has since made 47 appearances for the Dutch giants, scoring six times and providing four assists in the process.
With Ajax, Manchester United has reached an agreement to acquire Brazilian winger Antony.
United will reportedly pay an initial fee of £80.75 million plus a further £4.25 million in add-ons.
Within the next 48 hours, the 22-year-old is expected to travel to Manchester to get a medical.
Antony would become Manchester United’s joint-second most expensive signing alongside defender Harry Maguire – the £89m paid for Paul Pogba remains the club’s record.
Antony scored 25 goals and provided 22 assists in 82 appearances for Ajax, having joined the Dutch side from Sao Paulo in 2020 and played under current United boss Erik ten Hag.
He made his international debut for Brazil in October 2021 and has two goals in nine appearances.
Antony, who contributed to seven goals in his 11 Champions League appearances for Ajax, would also become the joint-fourth most expensive signing in Premier League history.
Only Pogba’s move to United, Chelsea’s signing of Romelu Lukaku, and Manchester City’s deal for Jack Grealish would be more costly.
United travel to Leicester City in their next Premier League fixture on Thursday, 1 September, but Antony would need to receive a work permit before making an appearance.
The attacker would become United’s fifth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of his former Ajax team-mate, defender Lisandro Martinez, midfielder Casemiro from Real Madrid, full-back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord, and playmaker Christian Eriksen on a free transfer.
Speculation also remains as to whether Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at the club following concerns about how the 37-year-old’s mood is affecting morale in the camp.
Bruno Fernandes’ second-half strike helped Manchester United beat Southampton 1-0 and record their second Premier League win of the season.
Both sides failed to break the deadlock in the first half despite a number of presentable chances, with both Gavin Bazunu and David de Gea called into action in the first 45 minutes.
Early into the second period, however, United took the lead, as Bruno Fernandes volleyed Diogo Dalot’s right-wing cross into the bottom corner.
The Saints pushed for an equaliser but the Red Devils — boosted by Casemiro, who made his debut off the bench — held out for the three points.
Manchester United sat back and looked to hold onto their lead after going ahead
Did you know?
This is United’s first Premier League win away from home since February, having lost their previous seven such games in a row before beating Southampton.
It is also the first time since February that United have won successive league games, winning just two of their last 11 in the competition before this (two draws, seven defeats).
Southampton are winless in their last 12 home Premier League matches against United (five draws, seven defeats) since winning 1-0 back in August 2003.
Southampton have kept just one clean sheet in their last 16 Premier League matches, shipping 38 goals in that time.
Only Mohamed Salah (54), Harry Kane (49) and Son Heung-Min (45) have more Premier League goals than Bruno Fernandes (37) since his debut in February 2020.
Ralph Hasenhuttl has never beaten United in the Premier League with Southampton (four draws, four defeats). They are one of only two sides he’s faced in the competition without winning, along with Cardiff.
The 2022 summer transfer window opened on June 10, 2022, and since then, over 500 transfers have taken place in the Premier League.
Several big moves have taken place with Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal , Tottenham among others.
Darwin Nunez, Erling Haaland are among players whose move have surprised fanatics.
Some of the deals are undisclosed. Quite a number of players were released and moved on loan.
Several other transfers are expected as the summer transfer window closes at 11pm (BST) on Thursday, September 1.
Arsenal
The Gunners took in Fabio Vieira from Porto and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City at a cost of £30m each.
Arsenal’s biggest move so far is Gabriel Jesus for £45m from Manchester City. The others are Matt Turner (New England Revolution, £5.8m) and Marquinhos (Sao Paulo, £3m).
The club let go of many players on loans. They are Omar Rekik, now with Sparta Rotterdam, Tyreece John-Jules, currently playing for Ipswich, Mika Biereth, who is with RKC Waalwijk, Den Bosch’s recent signee Nikolaj Moller and Ovie Ejeheri, who joined Chelmsford City.
The rest are; Auston Trusty (Birmingham), Marcelo Flores (Real Ovideo), Ryan Alebiosu (Kilmarnock),  Arthur Okonkwo (Crewe), Nuno Tavares (Marseille), Mazeed Ogungbo (Crawley),  Charlie Patino (Blackpool),  Pablo Mari (AC Monza) and  Alex Runarsson (Alanyaspor).
Players released include Mavropanos, Jonathan Dinzeyi,Joel Lopez and Jordan McEneff.
Konstantinos Mavropanos who is now at Stuttgart was sold for £3m, while Lyon received Alexandre Lacazette on free transfer.
Transfer details of the following players were not disclosed; Jordi Osei-Tutu (VFL Bochum),  Daniel Ballard (Sunderland), Matteo Guendouzi (Marseille), Zak Swanson (Portsmouth), Omari Hutchinson (Chelsea), Bernd Leno (Fulham) and Lucas Torreira (Galatasaray).
Aston Villa
Philippe Coutinho has joined Aston Villa from Barcelona on a four-year deal
Philippe Coutinho was bought from Barcelona by Aston Villa for £17m. The Villans received Diego Carlos from Sevilla; Robin Olsen from Roma, Rory Wilson (Rangers) and Ewan Simpson (Hearts) at undisclosed cost.
Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara joined Aston Villa on free transfer, whereas Ludwig Augustinsson, from Sevilla joined the club with loan to buy.
Out: Edinson Cavani (released), Juan Mata (released), Paul Pogba (Juventus, free), Jesse Lingard (released) D’Mani Mellor (released), Reece Devine (released), Lee Grant (released), Paul McShane (released), Connor Stanley (released), Paul Woolston (released), Nemanja Matic (Roma, free), Dean Henderson (Nottingham Forest, loan), Dylan Levitt (Dundee, undisclosed), Andreas Pereira (Fulham, £8m), Alvaro Fernandez (Preston, loan), Alex Telles (Sevilla, loan), Ethan Laird (QPR, loan), Dermot Mee (Altrincham, loan)
Newcastle
In: Alex Murphy (Galway United, undisclosed), Matt Targett (Aston Villa, £15m), Nick Pope (Burnley, undisclosed), Sven Botman (Lille, undisclosed), Charlie McArthur (Kilmarnock, undisclosed), Jude Smith (East Fife, undisclosed)Â
Out: Oisin McEntee (Walsall, undisclosed), Mo Sangare (Accrington, free), Isaac Hayden (Norwich, loan with obligation to buy), Lewis Cass (Port Vale, undisclosed), Freddie Woodman (Preston, undisclosed), Dan Langley (Gateshead, loan), Jeff Hendrick (Reading, loan), Ciaran Clark (Sheffield United, loan), Dwight Gayle (Stoke, undisclosed)
Nottingham Forest
In: Ryan Hammond (Millwall, undisclosed), Taiwo Awoniyi (Union Berlin, £17.5m), Dean Henderson (Manchester United, loan), Giulian Biancone (Troyes, £5m), Moussa Niakhate (Mainz, £8.5m), Omar Richards (Bayern Munich, £10m), Neco Williams (Liverpool, £17m), Wayne Hennessey (Burnley, undisclosed), Brandon Aguilera (LD Alajuelense, undisclosed), Harry Toffolo (Huddersfield, undisclosed), Lewis O’Brien (Huddersfield, undisclosed), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United, free), Orel Mangala (Stuttgart, £12.7m), Emmanuel Dennis (Watford, £20m), Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace, free), Remo Freuler (Atalanta, £8.5m), Morgan Gibbs-White (Wolves, £25m)
Out: Tobias Figueiredo (released), Carl Jenkinson (released), Gaetan Bong (released), Marcelo Valencia (released), Josh Barnes (released), Baba Fernandes (released), Sam Sanders (released), Morgan Thomas-Sadler (released), Joe Watkins (released), Mohamed Drager (FC Luzern, loan), Jayden Richardson (Aberdeen, undisclosed), Ethan Horvath (Luton, loan), Brice Samba (Lens, undisclosed), Tyrese Fornah (Reading, loan), Will Swan (Mansfield, loan), Jonathan Panzo (Coventry, loan), Fin Back (Carlisle, loan), Lewis Grabban (released), Riley Harbottle (Mansfield, loan), Brandon Aguilera (Guanacasteca, loan), Nicholas Ioannou (Como, undisclosed), Xande Silva (Dijon, undisclosed), Braian Ojeda (Real Salt Lake, loan), Nuno da Costa (Auxerre, undisclosed), Richie Laryea (Toronto, loan), Baba Fernandes (Accrington, loan), Nicky Hogarth (Falkirk, loan), Joe Lolley (Sydney, free)
Southampton
In: Alex Iwumene (Sutton United), Gavin Bazunu (Manchester City, undisclosed), Mateusz Lis (Altay SK, free), Armel Bella-Kotchap (Bochum, £8.5m), Romeo Lavia (Manchester City, £10.5m), Joe Aribo (Rangers, £10m), Sekou Mara (Bordeaux, undisclosed)
Out: Harry Lewis (Bradford City, free), Fraser Forster (Tottenham, free), Caleb Watts (Morecambe, loan), Kazeem Olaigbe (Ross County, loan), Shane Long (Reading, free), Dan Nlundulu (Cheltenham, loan), Will Smallbone (Stoke, loan), Thierry Small (Port Vale, loan), Kegs Chauke (Exeter, loan), Benni Smales-Braithwaite (Barrow, free), Will Ferry (Cheltenham, undisclosed), Nathan Tella (Burnley, loan), Kayne Ramsay (Harrogate, undisclosed)
Tottenham
Croatian wing-back Ivan Perisic was Tottenham’s first signing of the summer
Amartey lasted the entire duration of the game as Southampton came from behind to secure their first league win in nine games.
James Maddison’s fantastic free-kick, curled around the wall and into the bottom corner from 25 yards, gave Leicester the lead.
The Saints had barely had a chance before that but the introduction of Adams for Sekou Mara after 59 minutes changed the game.
First he slotted in from seven yards out from Armel Bella-Kotchap’s ball after Leicester failed to clear a long throw-in.
Captain James Ward-Prowse lofted a cross into the box and Adams met it with an acrobatic volley which flew past Danny Ward.
Southampton’s victory was achieved after fielding the youngest Premier League starting line-up named by any club since May 2017, with an average age of 23 years and 238 days.
Amartey has made three league appearances for Brendan Rodgers side this season.
Manchester City have been charged by the Football Association after fans invaded the pitch following last season’s Premier League title win.
Thousands of City fans poured on to the pitch as the club won its fourth title in five seasons by beating Aston Villa 3-2 on the final day at Etihad Stadium.
Aston Villa keeper Robin Olsen was attacked during the disorder, while a crossbar was broken.
City have until Thursday, 25 August to respond to the charge.
An FA statement said: “It is alleged that after the final whistle of this fixture that Manchester City failed to ensure that its spectators – and all persons purporting to be its supporters or followers – conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and refrained from using threatening and/or violent behaviour whilst encroaching onto the pitch.”
In May, two people were charged in connection with the pitch invasion, while Greater Manchester Police said last month that it was still investigating a number of offences, including criminal damage.
City scored three goals in five minutes as they came from 2-0 down with 15 minutes remaining to beat Villa and win the title by one point from Liverpool.
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It is said that nothing is certain except death and taxes – but is it also inevitable that Manchester Unitedwill lose against Liverpool this weekend?
“It’s the only result I am absolutely certain of, out of all 10 Premier League games,” said BBC Sport’s predictions expert Chris Sutton.
“It’s just a question of how many United are beaten by. It could get very messy for them.”
Sutton is picking scores for every top-flight game this season against a variety of guests.
For this weekend’s fixtures, he is up against Gareth Kelly, aka GK, from Bradford rap trio Bad Boy Chiller Crew.
Sutton has been beaten by both his guests so far, and Bradford City fan GK is confident he can make it three defeats out of three.
“I know Chris always has a lot to say but he’s up against the Bad Boys now,” GK told BBC Sport. “This is only going to end one way.”
Sutton, predictably, disagrees.
“Is that him being a wordsmith?” he replied. “He might be good at rapping but the truth is he shouldn’t be coming into this game, against an experienced Premier League winner like myself.”
Bad Boy Chiller Crew’s debut album, Disrespectful, reached number two in the charts earlier this year. Their new single, When It Rains It Pours, is out now.
BBCC started out as a group of mates uploading prank videos, but now their mission is to make people smile with their music instead, with lyrics inspired by life in their home city.
Their 2020 breakout single, 450, has had 20m views on YouTube and was supported by the likes of Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1 as their fame went national, then global. Their local links remain strong, though, including with Bradford City.
GK’s grandad is a Manchester United fan and his dad supports Celtic so he has football in his blood – “in our house we followed the Premier League, Scottish Premier League – and Bradford’s league,” he laughs – but he dreamed of fame in other sports before music came calling.
“I actually wanted to be a wrestler,” he explained. “But I started eating Big Macs when I was about three.
“As I grew up, I played more rugby league because I am a big lad, but I still used to watch a lot of football, and I went to Bradford quite a lot. The atmosphere’s always brilliant – even if you’re not enjoying the game, you still have a good crack.
“I really want to see them do well – because I’m from Bradford, I like to rep Bradford all the time.
“Everything we’ve done with BBCC is to celebrate our city, and as part of that we’ve got involved with the club as much as we can – it doesn’t seem to stop them losing though!”
As well as making predictions for this weekend’s Premier League games, GK is backing the Bantams to beat Hartlepool in League Two on Saturday. “I’m going 1-0 to Bradford, or a least that’s what I want to happen!” he said.
A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.
SUTTON’S PREDICTIONS
Games kick off at 15:00 BST unless otherwise stated
SATURDAYTottenham v Wolves (12:30 BST)
I was a bit disappointed with Tottenham’s performance against Chelsea last weekend.
Spurs showed good character to come back and get a draw, but that result was more to do with poor refereeing decisions and luck as far as I could see.
Wolves have signed Portugal forward Goncalo Guedes from Valencia to try to increase their goal threat, but he couldn’t make much difference when he came on against Fulham last week.
Bruno Lage’s side’s biggest issue last year was they didn’t score enough goals, despite having some very talented players.
Tottenham clearly don’t have that problem. It will be interesting to see if Antonio Conte starts with Richarlison this time, but either way they will have too much firepower for Wolves to handle.
Sutton’s prediction: 3-1
GK’s prediction: 2-0
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Crystal Palace v Aston Villa
Crystal Palace put in a very good performance against Liverpool on Monday, but when the Reds went down to 10 men you just wondered whether the Eagles could have taken the game to them with their numerical advantage.
Palace will still gain a lot of confidence from that result, though, and they will be looking to get their first win of the season here.
Villa will fancy their chances too, and they were much improved against Everton after losing to Bournemouth on the opening day.
It was a blow for Steven Gerrard to lose defender Diego Carlos to a long-term Achilles injury, and he has to decide whether to pick Emiliano Buendia in midfield over Philippe Coutinho, who did not do much in the first two games.
This is a hard one to call either way, so I am going to go for a draw.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-1
GK’s prediction: 0-1
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Everton v Nottingham Forest
I get how important Nottingham Forest’s win over West Ham was, given the number of new signings they have made, but I actually felt the Hammers should have got something from the game.
Everton badly need a similar result to kick-start their season, but I don’t think they are playing that badly.
The Toffees are still missing a proper centre-forward, but they looked much better against Villa when new signing Amadou Onana came on.
I fancy them here, especially because they are at home.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-0
GK’s prediction: 1-1
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Fulham v Brentford
I really like what Brentford are doing, and I almost made the prediction of the century when I said they would beat United 3-0 last week. I was so unlucky that they actually scored four.
Fulham will have a real go at them, like they did against Liverpool in their last home game, so this is a much bigger test than United offered and it should be a good game.
It will be close, too. The Cottagers have drawn both their games so far, and I can see the points being shared again.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-1
GK’s prediction: 1-0
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Leicester v Southampton
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl seems to be under a bit of pressure, which seems unfair so early in the season, so it was important for him that they came back from 2-0 down to draw with Leeds last time out.
Hasenhuttl had been tinkering with playing three at the back during pre-season, but he went back to a four against Leeds, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him stick with that here.
Leicester also have problems at the back, not helped by having the uncertainty over Wesley Fofana’s future hanging over them, but the Foxes still have plenty of quality going forward.
There will be goals in this one, and I’m going with Brendan Rodgers to get his first win of the season.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-1
GK’s prediction: 1-1
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Bournemouth v Arsenal (17:30)
Arsenal have made a great start to the season, and Gabriel Jesus has made the difference.
There was a lot of hype about his arrival, and he is backing it up – he is not in my Fantasy team, though, so I hope he doesn’t score again this time.
I still don’t think we should get carried away by what the Gunners are doing, and I still don’t think they will challenge for the title this season – but I can understand why their fans are excited.
If you look at the scoreline, Bournemouth got walloped by Manchester City in their last game, but they actually didn’t do that much wrong.
They are at home this time and might think this is a game where they can go for it a little bit more. I don’t think it will work, but the Cherries will not roll over even if they go behind.
Sutton’s prediction: 0-2
GK’s prediction: 1-2
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SUNDAYLeeds v Chelsea (14:00)
Leeds boss Jesse Marsch will have been deeply disappointed to see his side pegged back by Southampton after going two goals up, and I think he might have to deal with another setback here.
There are still a few question marks over what is going on with Chelsea up front, and they keep getting linked with new players too, but they were excellent against Spurs last week.
If they play like that at Elland Road, they will win.
Sutton’s prediction: 0-1
GK’s prediction: 0-3
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West Ham v Brighton (14:00)
West Ham have lost their first two matches but they had a difficult pre-season with injuries, and I certainly don’t think there is any reason to panic.
The Hammers will turn the corner soon, but they haven’t beaten Brighton in 10 attempts since the Seagulls returned to the Premier League in 2017, and I don’t see that run ending here.
Graham Potter’s team are superbly organised and I’d back them to get something from this game too.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-1
GK’s prediction: 0-0
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Newcastle v Manchester City (16:30)
There will be a great atmosphere at St James’ Park and Newcastle might create one or two chances for Callum Wilson.
I can only see a Manchester City win here, though. They have not really put a foot wrong so far.
Lots has been made of how few touches Erling Haaland had against Bournemouth, but he still made one of them count with his pass to Ilkay Gundogan for the opening goal.
If the opposition are going to focus on stopping Haaland, then it is going to leave space for their other attacking players, and we already know how dangerous they are.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-3
GK’s prediction: 0-2
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MONDAYManchester United v Liverpool (20:00)
If Manchester United win this game, they leapfrog Liverpool in the table, but that is not going to happen.
United aren’t able to press teams with the players they have got, and I don’t really know what Erik ten Hag can change with what he has got in his squad.
Liverpool have started slowly too, and Darwin Nunez’s suspension won’t help on top of their injuries. That leaves them a bit short up front, although Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz looked lively against Palace.
Whatever happens, you just know Jurgen Klopp’s side will outwork United at the very least.
Maybe United’s players will run around a little bit more this week than they did against Brentford, but they need to find some heart. Unless something happens this week that triggers a change in attitude in the squad, I don’t see it happening.
The home crowd will be willing them to take the game to Liverpool, and if they do that then they are in big trouble because that’s when Klopp’s side are at their best.
They won 5-0 at Old Trafford last season and it is going to be a similar story this time, although I am going to give United a goal just to lift their spirits a little.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-5
GK’s prediction: 0-0
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Chris Sutton and GK were speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.
How did Sutton do last week?
Sutton got five correct results from 10 matches, with no exact scores, giving him a total of 50 points.
He was beaten by Kasabian frontman Serge Pizzorno, who got four correct results but with one exact score, giving him a total of 70 points.
GUEST LEADERBOARD 2022-23Ali Bruce-Ball110Serge Pizzorno70Chris Sutton55 (average after two weeks)Total scores after week 2Guests180Chris Sutton110How did you get on?
Manchester United’s awful performance and 4-0 defeat last weekend was the latest setback for Erik ten Hag’s side, but was Brentford beating them really that much of a surprise?
Sutton went for a 3-0 Bees victory, Serge said they would win 2-0 and, from more than 70,000 votes, 47% of you backed Brentford too.
“I’m actually disappointed with my prediction,” Sutton said. “I should have been braver.”
Elsewhere, Liverpool’s slow start to the season continued to fox pretty much everyone. After 87% of you went for a Reds win at Fulham on week one, 85% of you thought Liverpool would beat the Eagles – and were wrong again. Only 9% of you thought Crystal Palace would get a draw at Anfield.
In contrast, Chris, Serge and 94% of you predicted a Manchester City win over Bournemouth. City won 4-0, making that the most popular prediction to actually happen.
You vs Chris & the guests – Week TwoPositionCorrect resultsYou*6/10Chris5/10Serge Pizzorno4/10
*Win, draw, loss prediction based on highest % of vote for each match.
Total scores after week 2You*12/20Chris11/20Guests9/20
Our coverage of your Premier League club is bigger and better than ever before – here’s everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment
Kadiogo won the title on the final matchday of the season following their victory over RC Bobo Dioulasso to go one point above second place, Majestic.
The Champions triumph came after a late controversial match-winner inside 90 minutes.
Goalkeeper, Babayoure A Sawadogo gave Kaidiogo the lead in the second half from a direct freekick but the away side pulled parity through Isse Blak Ouattara’s wonderful strike.
With 15 seconds to full time and a draw handing Majestic the League title, RC Bobo goalkeeper, Moustapha Diarra gifted Kadiogo the match-winner from a failed freekick inside his area.
Many alleged that Diarra’s failed kick that found Souwene Sanoude, who was just in front of the box was deliberate.
In the Champions League, Kotoko will visit Kadiogo for the first leg on September 09/11 before hosting the West African side in Kumasi on September 16/18 2022.
Arsenal travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace in a game which will see Black Stars teammates Jordan Ayew and Thomas Partey facing off in a crunch opening day fixture.
Another Ghana International Jeffrey Schlupp is also in the starting line-up for Crystal Palace to face Arsenal.
Arsenal are desperate to start the season well, especially after suffering three straight defeats in the opening games of last season.
With the acquisition of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City, the Gunners are optimistic that they can get off to a great start.
But Palace will be no pushovers, especially at home where they have been formidable for many years.
Palace will be buoyed by the fact that the optics favour them. In the last five times that the EPL has kicked off on a Friday night, the home side has won four of those fixtures.
Liverpool will play a friendly one day after their Premier League opener at Fulham next weekend, manager Jurgen Klopp said, adding that his players need more match practice to cope with a packed schedule in the 2022-23 season.
Liverpool, who have played Manchester United, Crystal Palace, RB Leipzig and Salzburg during preseason, clash with Manchester City in the Community Shield at Leicester’s King Power Stadium on Saturday.
They will host Ligue 1 side Strasbourg in a friendly at Anfield on Sunday and begin their league campaign at Fulham on Aug. 6
Klopp said Liverpool will play another friendly the following day against as-yet unnamed opponents to get players up to speed for the new season, which begins earlier than usual because of the World Cup in Qatar in November and December.
“The situation is that [Saturday] is a very important game but we still have to prepare [for] a season, so we cannot ignore that,” Klopp told reporters on Thursday.
“We played last night against Salzburg, we lost 1-0. We trained the day before twice, so pretty intense… I cannot ignore the fact that after this important [Community Shield] game there is a season coming up. So we have to extend our preseason into the season.
“From mid-August on, I think we play every three days, so there is no time for training any more. So we try to do the right things and the schedule is always a challenge, that’s how it is.”
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson and forward Diogo Jota will miss Saturday’s game against City as they continue to recover from injuries.
Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke is angling for a move away from Selhurst Park amid reports linking the Premier League side with a move for AS Roma youngster Felix Afena-Gyan.
The Eagles are considering a €12m (£10.2m) bid for the 19-year-old, who burst onto the scene at Roma last season under Jose Mourinho.
According to Italian journalist, Gianluca Di Marzio, Crystal Palace could also include the youngster in a trade that will see Wilfried Zaha move to Roma.
The latest twist has sparked rumuors of Christian Benteke seeking an exit from the club with Wolves believed to be interested.
Felix Afena-Gyan enjoyed a breakthrough campaign last season, where he was promoted to the first team of Roma following his outstanding display in the Primavera.
Afena-Gyan made 17 Serie A appearances, scoring two goals and played a role in the Roma team that won the inaugural Europa Conference League at the end of last season.
The teen sensation earned his maiden Black Stars call up in March, helping Ghana beat Nigeria in the playoff to qualify for the World Cup.
He has since scored a goal in six games for Ghana.
He recently signed a long-term deal which will keep him at AS Roma until the summer of 2026.
Raphael Varane has rejected the notion that Manchester United would be stronger without Cristiano Ronaldo, describing the veteran striker as “a legend”. Ronaldo scored 24 goals in all competitions during his homecoming season at Old Trafford, but was still subjected to intense criticism as the Red Devils recorded their lowest-ever points tally in the Premier League.
GOAL understands that Ronaldo is pushing for a transfer after United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, but Varane still hopes to continue playing alongside the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
What has Varane said about Maguire?
Ronaldo’s perceived reluctance to press high up the pitch was seen as a major contributor to United’s struggles in 2021-22, and it has been suggested that Erik ten Hag’s new regime would run more smoothly if the 37-year-old does indeed move on this summer.
Varane has never had any doubts about Ronaldo’s role in the squad, however, as he told BBC Sport amid the club’s pre-season tour of the United States: “That debate was outside of the dressing room.
“We know his quality. And we know he’s very famous. So we know a lot of people will speak about the performance of the team and his performance.
“Cristiano is a great competitor. He’s a legend and he always helps the team, so obviously it’s very good to play with him.”
Club captain Harry Maguire also came under scrutiny for his displays last term, but despite speculation Ronaldo could be made a stand-in skipper, Ten Hag has confirmed that the defender will retain the armband for now.
Maguire was booed in United’s last pre-season outing against Crystal Palace, but Varane remains fully behind his centre-back partner.
“Competition is good for the team,” he said. “Harry is a very important player for us. He’s the captain and obviously he has a lot of good qualities.
“The team will always be better with this competition. Every great club is like this. If everyone wants to fight for the team, that’s a good thing.”
Varane left Real Madrid after 10 trophy-laden seasons to join United last summer – a decision which ultimately saw him miss out on the chance to win a fifth Champions League winners’ medal.
Asked if he regrets swapping the Santiago Bernabeu for Old Trafford, the Frenchman replied: “No, absolutely not.
“In football, you have to challenge yourself and try to improve. I wanted to live another experience after 10 years in the same place.
“The Premier League is absolutely fantastic and Manchester United are a great club. There was no doubt about my decision.”
Varane added on the optimism that is growing within the United ranks under Ten Hag, who has delivered three wins out of three in pre-season: “It’s a new season. A new start.
“Confidence is important and we lost confidence when we lost some games. But I think we have great potential.
“The new manager is very positive. He wants this energy and to press high up the pitch, with more space behind our backs. That is maybe more offensive but it is football we really enjoy, so that is a good start.”
Report as Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho score a goal each to help Manchester United see off Premier League rivals Crystal Palace 3-1 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground; Joel Ward pulls goal back from corner before United youngster Will Fish is sent off late on
Anthony Martial produced an eye-catching performance as he scored one and made another to help Man Utd sweep aside Crystal Palace 3-1 at the MCG.
In another performance of quality and high tempo at one of the world’s finest grounds, United kept up their 100 per cent start to pre-season with Martial again on target after scoring in both of their previous wins over Melbourne Victory and Liverpool.
The Frenchman first took Diogo Dalot’s cross down and finished smartly, with full debutant Tyrell Malacia involved in the build-up, before playing a part in Marcus Rashford’s second moments after half-time thanks to a lovely touch and pass.
Martial then made United’s third, against a Palace side missing a number of their first-team squad, with a first-time pass releasing Jadon Sancho on the break, from which the winger’s powerful finish put the result beyond doubt.
Minutes after a raft of changes for both sides Joel Ward headed in a consolation for the Eagles, but those substitutions killed the momentum of both sides and Will Fish’s clumsy red card late on was the only moment of note for either in the closing stages.
United’s only other major disappointment came from the crowd at the MCG, with Harry Maguire’s name booed ahead of kick-off and throughout the opening 45 minutes – but the club captain shrugged off the criticism and nearly scored with a 20-yard first-half drive.
Djed Spence impressed on loan at Nottingham Forest in the Championship last season, helping them reach the Premier League, but has now joined Tottenham in a deal that could rise to £20m with add-ons; Spence has signed a five-year contract until June 2027.
Tottenham has signed Djed Spence from Middlesbrough on a five-year contract in a deal worth up to £20m.
The right wing-back, who completed a medical at Hotspur Way on Friday, has signed until June 2027 after Spurs agreed on a deal that will see them pay an initial £12.5m, with a further £7.5m coming in performance-related add-ons.
The 21-year-old made 46 appearances on loan for Nottingham Forest last season and there was a chance he might have joined Steve Cooper’s side on a permanent deal this summer.
But Spence has become Spurs’ sixth major signing of the season, following the arrivals of Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, and loanee Clement Lenglet.
We know about the big-money summer signings looking to take the Premier League by storm this season, but who are some of the youngsters hoping this is their big season?
Here are 10 we think could be worth following, from those hoping to make a breakthrough to others who could have a huge impact.
Charlie Patino (Arsenal midfielder)
Charlie Patino scored on his professional debut against Sunderland
The much-hyped Patino, who cost Arsenal £10,000 from Luton when he was 11, will be hoping for a big season.
The 18-year-old scored only 10 minutes into his debut last season, in a 5-1 Carabao Cup win over Sunderland, and also started their FA Cup defeat by Nottingham Forest.
Fans chanted his name as he came on after 80 minutes in that Sunderland game with boss Mikel Arteta saying “I see that [building hype], I saw it around the club”.
An injury held up his breakthrough somewhat, but he was on the bench for the final four Premier League games of the season.
Patino – who says he grew up loving former Gunners midfielder Santi Cazorla – is an England Under-19 international, although he is also eligible for Spain.
Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa midfielder)
Jacob Ramsey will be hoping to learn from midfield great Steven Gerrard
Ramsey has already had his breakthrough season – with six goals in 35 games for Villa last term but this could be the season he becomes a star.
There have even been suggestions the 21-year-old could make England’s World Cup squad.
In February his Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard, a legendary midfielder in his playing days, said: “He will be a terrific player. It won’t be long before the whole country is watching him. He is right up there.”
Some of his goals had hints of peak Gerrard - a double against Leeds came from powerful, driving runs and calm but clinical finishes.
The progress of Ramsey, who signed a new five-year deal recently and has been at Villa since he was six, helped them get over the loss of another hometown hero in Jack Grealish. Another big season and he could close the gap on Grealish.
Evan Ferguson (Brighton forward)
Evan Ferguson is already a Republic of Ireland Under-21 regular
Ferguson could be in for a big season at Brighton despite only being 17.
The Republic of Ireland Under-21 striker made four appearances for the Seagulls last season – but that was not his first taste of first-team action.
Remarkably, he made his League of Ireland debut for Bohemians when he was only 14 – having also faced Chelsea in a friendly at the same age.
“You forget he’s only 17, especially when you watch him every day in training,” said boss Graham Potter.
“He’s not looked out of place. Character wise, his personality and mindset are all really good. We’ve got a lot of faith in him.”
Levi Colwill (Chelsea defender)
Sadly for Levi Colwill and Huddersfield, his own goal in the Championship play-off final gave Nottingham Forest a 1-0 win
Ask any Huddersfield fan for their thoughts on Chelsea defender Levi Colwill and, having watched him all last season during a successful loan spell, they will say he is an England captain in the making.
The talented 19-year-old was a big reason why the Championship pre-season relegation favourites ended up finishing third and reaching the play-off final.
Calm and assured on the ball with a maturity beyond his years, Chelsea have high hopes for Colwill, who has been described as the next John Terry.
A host of Premier League clubs, including Brighton, Everton and Leicester, have been linked with a loan move for the left-footed centre-back. Wherever he does end up, expect him to make a big impression in the Premier League this season.
Anthony Gordon (Everton forward)
Anthony Gordon played nearly every game after Frank Lampard replaced Rafael Benitez
Gordon was one of Everton’s few positives to come from a disappointing season where they narrowly avoided relegation to the EFL.
The England Under-21 international started 19 of the 21 games after Frank Lampard took over and was named Everton’s players’ player of the year.
His winner against Manchester United in April went a long way to helping them stay up.
Gordon is a hard-working and talented winger and Everton fans will be excited to see how the 21-year-old does in a team that will be aiming for higher up the league.
Joe Gelhardt (Leeds forward)
Joe Gelhardt (right) helped keep Leeds in the Premier League
One of the few positives from Leeds’ near-disastrous second season back in the Premier League was the impressive cameo performances of young forward Joe Gelhardt, who contributed two goals and four assists in just 732 minutes.
These contributions included his run to win a penalty in the home game with Wolves, his timely header and close-range finish against Norwich and the skill to leave Brighton’s Lewis Dunk flailing on the Elland Road turf before his cross for a Pascal Struijk headed equaliser.
All of these helped salvage points, without which the Whites would almost certainly be back in the Championship.
With a low centre of gravity, strength beyond his stature, excellent dribbling skills and an eye for the goal, the Liverpool-born player has an air of Wayne Rooney about him, although saddling him with such lofty expectations at this stage is unfair.
Manager Jesse Marsch often fields two forwards and so Gelhardt should get more opportunities to show what he can do in what could well be his true breakout campaign.
Harvey Elliott (Liverpool midfielder)
Harvey had been injured for months
Having played for Fulham and Liverpool in the Premier League, and spending a season on loan with Blackburn in the Championship, it is easy to forget Elliott is still only 19.
He would have had an even bigger impact had he not spent five months out last season with an ankle injury before scoring a lovely volley on his return to the team against Cardiff in the FA Cup.
The skillful winger or midfielder will be hoping to stay injury free and work his way into becoming a Reds regular this season.
Cole Palmer (Manchester City forward)
Cole Palmer scored in the Carabao Cup, Champions League and FA Cup last season
Palmer, 20, is hoping this could be the season he starts to emulate Phil Foden, both local players who came through the City academy having joined as children.
The Athletic claims City plan to use Palmer in the first team more this season as a right winger, with Raheem Sterling possibly leaving the Etihad.
Palmer scored three times for City’s first team last season, against Wycombe, Club Bruges and Swindon in the Carabao Cup, Champions League and FA Cup respectively.
He also scored eight goals in eight games in the Premier League and netted in the Papa John’s Trophy for City’s reserve team.
Anthony Elanga (Manchester United forward)
Anthony Elanga broke into the United and Sweden team last season
The 20-year-old Sweden international scored twice in the Premier League and once in the Champions League and played in every single United game in 2022.
With uncertainty around the roles of some forwards next season – Marcus Rashford is out of form and Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly wants to leave – Elanga could have even more chances this season.
Brennan Johnson (Nottingham Forest forward)
Brennan Johnson, whose father David also played for Nottingham Forest, has been at the club since he was eight
Johnson is the only player on this list who is new to the Premier League.
The 21-year-old was named the Championship’s young player of the season after helping Nottingham Forest win promotion via the play-offs.
In a dream summer, he then helped Wales reach the World Cup and scored his first international goal against Belgium.
“He’s a wonderful talent,” said Wales boss Rob Page. “I’m looking forward to watching him in the Premier League next season and watching him grow with us.
“Every time he comes on he impresses and shows his worth. He’s got a lot more to come.”
Champions Manchester City face West Ham away on the opening weekend of a 2022-23 Premier League campaign that will include a mid-season break for the World Cup in Qatar.
There will be no top-flight games after the weekend of 12-13 November until 26 December because of the World Cup.
The first fixture takes place on Friday, 5 August when Crystal Palace host Arsenal.
Liverpool play at promoted Fulham, with Nottingham Forest at Newcastle.
Forest are back in the Premier League for the first time since 1998-99.
The World Cup, which will feature both England and Wales, starts on 21 November. The final is on 18 December, eight days before the Premier League season resumes.
There are no meetings between the Premier League’s so-called ‘big six’ on weekend of 12-13 November – the one before the World Cup – following a request by the Football Association.
England will meet up on 14 November before flying to Qatar the following day.
Special arrangements have been made to allow more time between games played across the three festive match rounds.
This will allow squads greater time to recover. Previously clubs were given a minimum of 48 hours between matches.
After fixtures on 26-27 December, the following match round will be played across 29, 30 and 31 December. The New Year match round will be played on the 2, 3, 4 and 5 January.
First round of fixtures in full
Friday, 5 August
Crystal Palace v Arsenal (20:00 BST)
Saturday, 6 August
Fulham v Liverpool (12:30)
Bournemouth v Aston Villa (15:00)
Leeds United v Wolverhampton (15:00)
Leicester City v Brentford (15:00)
Newcastle United v Nottingham Forest (15:00)
Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton (15:00)
Everton v Chelsea (17:30)
Sunday, 7 August
Manchester United v Brighton (14:00)
West Ham United v Manchester City (16:30)
Break of more than six weeks
The 2022-23 season has been adjusted to accommodate the 2022 World Cup, which takes place in the middle of the domestic calendar.
It starts a week earlier than normal – 75 days after the final day of the 2021-22 campaign – and finishes a week later than usual on 28 May.
Fifa, world football’s governing body, has already stipulated that players must be released on 14 November for the World Cup.
It means the mid-season break will last more than six weeks.
There will be 16 matchdays before Qatar – five in August, three in September, six in October and two in November.
Games on 12-13 November before World Cup
Bournemouth v Everton
Brighton v Aston Villa
Fulham v Manchester United
Liverpool v Southampton
Manchester City v Brentford
Newcastle United v Chelsea
Nottingham Forest v Crystal Palace
Tottenham Hotspur v Leeds United
West Ham United v Leicester City
Wolverhampton v Arsenal
Liverpool host Man City on 15 October
Manchester City, crowned 2021-22 champions after a dramatic final-day win over Aston Villa, are favourites to retain their title after signing forward Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund for £51.2m.
Haaland, 21, is set to make his Premier League debut at West Ham before City host Bournemouth and then travel to Newcastle.
Liverpool, who finished one point behind the champions in 2021-22, host City on 15 October, with the return fixture at Etihad Stadium on 1 April.
After opening the season at Newcastle, Nottingham Forest host West Ham before travelling to Everton.
The first Manchester derby of the season is on 1 October at Etihad Stadium, with United hosting their neighbours on 14 January.
Arsenal host the first north London derby of the season on 1 October with the return at Tottenham also on 14 January.
The first Merseyside derby of 2022-23 is at Everton on 3 September with Liverpool hosting the Toffees on 11 February.
Opening weekend stats
With Arsenal launching the 2022-23 season at Crystal Palace, it will be the third-successive season the Gunners are starting the Premier League campaign with a London derby.
Promoted Bournemouth host Aston Villa on the opening weekend. The Cherries’ first-ever Premier League game in August 2015 was a 1-0 home defeat to Villa.
Everton are unbeaten in their opening Premier League match in the past 10 seasons (W4 D6).
Despite relegation in 2020-21, Fulham were unbeaten across both Premier League games against Liverpool that season, drawing 1-1 at home and winning 1-0 at Anfield.
Among current Premier League sides, Southampton are on the longest winless run in their opening Premier League matches of the season (P8 D4 L4).
Manchester United will be opening a top-flight season against Brighton and Hove Albion for the first time in their history.
Will Manchester City or Liverpool be champions? Can Tottenham seal a Champions League spot ahead of north London rivals Arsenal? Which of Burnley or Leeds are heading for the Championship?
These are the main questions to be answered on what promises to be a dramatic and emotional final day of the 2021-22 Premier League season.
It is the first time in 10 years that the title, top four and relegation are all still to be fully decided before the final day.
BBC Sport takes a detailed look at everything at stake on what promises to be a gripping and tense finale.
The BBC will be providing the usual coverage on Sunday, with live text commentary on all 10 games on the BBC Sport website and Radio 5 Live audio commentary on Manchester City v Aston Villa, with updates from around the grounds.
As a special bonus, Final Score will be showing the goals and best action from the seven Premier League games not being shown live elsewhere – those being the matches at the Etihad, Anfield and the Brentford Community Stadium.
City’s title to lose
Manchester City hold a one-point advantage at the top of the table after their draw at West Ham and Liverpool’s victory at Southampton in the penultimate round of games.
Few people expect the defending champions to surrender their lead, and not just because no side has ever started a Premier League final day top and not ended it there.
The main reason is that City have been simply superb this season, winning 28 games to stay out in front despite Liverpool clawing back what was at one stage a double-digit lead.
Pep Guardiola’s men host Aston Villa on Sunday, knowing a win would make Liverpool’s result at home to Wolves academic and seal a fourth league title of their Spanish manager’s six-season reign.
Claiming the league crown would put some salve on the wounds inflicted on City in the latter stages of this season by the Reds, who beat them in the FA Cup semi-final, and Real Madrid, who stunned them with a late comeback in the Champions League last four.
It would also deny Jurgen Klopp’s side a shot at a historic quadruple, with the Carabao and FA Cups already in the Anfield trophy cabinet and the Champions League final to come.
All Liverpool can do is beat Wolves at home and hope Villa can do them a favour at the Etihad, with a draw no good for them because of their goal difference, even if City lose.
This season is the third time in four campaigns that the pair have claimed the top two spots. If they match each other’s result on Sunday, it will be the second time, after 2018-19’s gripping race, that they have been separated at the top by just a point.
North London tussle for fourth spot
Spurs are often mocked for doing things described as ‘Spursy’ – meaning throwing away leads and grasping defeat from the jaws of victory.
It would take something especially ‘Spursy’ for them to miss out on a Champions League spot this season.
Their hard-fought win over Burnley on Sunday, followed by Arsenal’s deserved defeat at Newcastle the following day, means Tottenham go into the final day two points ahead of their fierce rivals.
With their vastly superior goal difference, Antonio Conte’s side can afford a draw at relegated Norwich.
Only a win will do for Arsenal, who are at home to an Everton side now assured of Premier League football next season. If the Canaries can provide a dead cat bounce at Carrow Road and beat Spurs, a win will see the Gunners nick it.
There is also an outstanding European issue still to be settled a bit lower down the table, as Manchester United and West Ham fight it out on Sunday to decide who will be playing in the Europa League and who in the Europa Conference League.
The sixth-placed Red Devils can end a disappointing season by sealing a Europa League spot with a win at Crystal Palace. Anything less, though, leaves the door open for the Hammers, who trail by two points in seventh but have a vastly superior goal difference.
David Moyes’ side are at Brighton on Sunday, hoping to get another shot at a competition in which they reached the semi-finals this season.
Below this there will be the usual jockeying for league placings on the final day, with each place higher in the division worth an estimated extra £3m.
For a club like Aston Villa, for example, it could mean an extra £12m if they can lift themselves from 14th to 10th on the final day.
Burnley or Leeds for the drop?
At half-time at Goodison Park on Thursday, it looked as though three sides would be battling it out to avoid joining Watford and Norwich in the Championship next season.
But Everton’s remarkable comeback win over Crystal Palace leaves Burnley and Leeds to duke it out for survival on the final day.
The pair are level on 35 points but the Clarets have the edge courtesy of a vastly superior goal difference, meaning they only need to match Leeds’ result on the final day to stay up.
Mike Jackson’s side also have home advantage on Sunday, albeit against an in-form Newcastle side hoping to seal a top-half finish.
Golden boot, gloves and the rest
Manchester City and Liverpool are not just battling it out for the title – their respective goalkeepers are also locked in a tussle for the division’s golden gloves.
City’s Ederson and Liverpool’s Alisson both have 20 clean sheets to their name.
There is a very close race taking place at the top of the Premier League goalscorers charts too, with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah currently one ahead of Tottenham’s Son Heung-min.
Golden boot 2021-22
Player
Team
Goals
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool
22
Son Heung-min
Tottenham
21
Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United
18
If Salah prevails, it will be his third English golden boot after he came out on top in 2017-18 and 2018-19. For Son, it would be a first.
With 18 goals to his name, it would take something truly special for Cristiano Ronaldo to muscle his way in, although the Portuguese has been performing remarkable goalscoring feats for much of his career.
Speaking of Ronaldo, could Sunday be the final time we see him in Premier League action?
The summer arrival of Erik ten Hag as Manchester United’s new boss is expected to mean a major overhaul at the club, with speculation that the 37-year-old could be one of those moved on.
One player who will definitely be saying farewell to his club’s fans is Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger, who has agreed to join Real Madrid this summer.
The West Ham fans at Brighton’s Amex Stadium will be seeing the last of the retiring Mark Noble and the soon-to-be-out-of-contract Andriy Yarmolenko in a Hammers shirt.
Will Sunday be the last Arsenal appearance of Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah? Could Christian Eriksen be saying ‘thank you and goodbye’ to Brentford? Will cult hero Divock Origi get a last run-out at Liverpool?
Potential answers to these questions and more will be provided on what promises to be a gripping Premier League 2021-22 finale.
Manchester City‘s Kevin de Bruyne has been voted the 2021-22 Premier League player of the season, while team-mate Phil Foden was named best young player.
Belgium midfielder De Bruyne has scored 15 goals and registered seven assists, with City top of the league before the final day of the campaign on Sunday.
“To win this award for a second time is an achievement that I am really proud of,” he said.
Foden, 21, is the first player to win his prize in successive seasons.
De Bruyne, 30, was chosen after the votes from the public on the Premier League website were combined with those of the 20 Premier League club captains and a panel of football experts.
His City team-mate Joao Cancelo, Liverpool pair Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, Tottenham forward Son Heung-min and Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse were also nominated.
De Bruyne also claimed the honour in 2019-20 and joins Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nemanja Vidic in winning it more than once.
“There is so much quality in the Premier League and it is a pleasure to be nominated with so many other great players who have had incredible seasons for their clubs,” added De Bruyne.
“I think my performances this season have been good and I am happy that I have been able to contribute with goals and assists throughout the season.”
Foden secured the most combined votes from the public and a Premier League panel, to win the young player trophy for a second time.
The England international has scored nine goals and provided five assists this season.
Foden beat Alexander-Arnold, Crystal Palace’s on-loan Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, Palace full-back Tyrick Mitchell, Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, Arsenal duo Aaron Ramsdale and Saka, and West Ham midfielder Declan Rice to the award for players aged 23 or under.
“I’m very proud to have won for a second season in a row,” he said.
“I have been really happy with my performances this season and it has been great to contribute to this team in what will hopefully be another successful year for us all.
“To be nominated alongside so many great players is an honour as they have all had great seasons for their clubs.”
De Bruyne and Foden can help City retain the Premier League title on Sunday – when they host Aston Villa – as their side go into the final round of fixtures one point ahead of rivals Liverpool, who are at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Premier League clubs voted against continuing to allow five substitutes for the 2020/21 season on Thursday.
Following the resumption of the 2019/20 campaign after the coronavirus shutdown, clubs were allowed to name nine substitutes and make five changes during matches to support player welfare.
Some clubs wanted the new regulation carried over but the Premier League confirmed they were voted down at Thursday’s annual general meeting, held virtually.
All 20 members also backed changes to the video assistant referee as the system is to fall in line with FIFA protocol.
“At the Premier League’s annual general meeting today, shareholders agreed to rules relating to VAR and substitute players for the 2020/21 season,” the statement said.
“Shareholders unanimously approved the implementation of VAR, in line with the full FIFA VAR protocol.
“Clubs also agreed to revert to using up to three substitute players per match, with a maximum of seven substitutes on the bench.”
The VAR changes come as FIFA aims to have a unified approach to its implementation.
There was controversy in several Premier League games during the season, with the new protocols agreed upon unanimously.
The changes will see referees use the pitch-side review area more often, with the Premier League now also using VAR to spot goalkeeper encroachment on penalties, while assistant referees have been told to keep their flag down for marginal offside calls until the attacking move has played out.
The 2020-21 Premier League season will start on 12 September and finish on 23 May.
The current campaign will end on Sunday after it was suspended for three months because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Premier League said it would “continue to consult” with the Football Association and English Football League (EFL) “regarding the scheduling of all domestic competitions”.
The start date for teams still in Europe is under discussion.
It remains possible they will be given a delayed start, given they could be playing well into August.
Last-16 ties in the Europa League – featuring Manchester United and Wolves – resume on 5 August, with the final scheduled to take place on 21 August.
Remaining Champions League last-16 ties resume from 7 August, with Manchester City and Chelsea still in the competition.
Manchester United need a point from their final game to clinch a Champions League place after coming from behind to draw against West Ham.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side moved into the top four, ahead of Leicester, who they face at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.
But victory for Brendan Rodgers’ side will deny the Red Devils a spot in Europe’s elite club competition next season.
Meanwhile, the point for David Moyes’ side guarantees Premier League football next season as they now lie four points clear of the relegation zone.
West Ham went ahead on the stroke of half-time through Michail Antonio’s coolly taken penalty after Paul Pogba handled inside the area.
United levelled early in the second half through Mason Greenwood who exchanged passes with Anthony Martial before drilling home a low finish for his 17th goal of the season.
United goalkeeper David de Gea’s position has been under scrutiny after two errors in the FA Cup semi-final loss to Chelsea, but the Spaniard made an excellent reflex save to deny Jarrod Bowen.
Declan Rice struck a powerful drive narrowly over but neither side were able to find a winner.
The Premier League and English Football League summer transfer windows will be open for 10 weeks between 27 July and 5 October, subject to Fifa approval.
In addition, the Premier League and EFL say there will be a domestic-only window between 5-16 October.
“During this window, clubs will only be able to trade with EFL clubs (either loans or permanent registrations),” said a Premier League statement.
“No transfers can take place between Premier League clubs in this period.”
The EFL also said any new signings by its clubs could not play until the start of the 2020-21 season.
“This is applicable to clubs involved in the Championship play-offs,” it explained in a statement.
The EFL added: “The window for international registrations closes at 23:00 BST on Monday, 5 October, with an agreement in place with the Premier League for an extended two-week domestic-only window, which will close at 17:00 on Friday, 16 October.”
There has not yet been any announcement on a start date for the 2020-21 season.
Launching the new season on 12 September remains the most likely option, but that comes immediately after September’s round of international games.
The Football Association and EFL are concerned the reduced number of match dates will have an impact on their respective cup competitions.
English Premier League side Southampton are close to completing the paperwork to sign Ghanaian international Mohammed Salisu.
The young defender who plays for Real Valladolid in the Spanish La Liga has been outstanding for the side since breaking into the first eleven at the beginning of the 2019/2020 season.
His exploits in La Liga caught the eye of many in the first half of the season with Valencia making an offer to Valladolid for his signing in the winter transfer window.
With the season set to end soon, Southampton has been in talks with the Spanish outfit in a bid to secure the services of Mohammed Salisu.
Reports reaching footballghana.com is that the Saints are now close to wrapping up the paperwork that will lead to the signing of the center-back.
If things go well, the deal will be sealed by the close of the week subject to a medical examination before he will be officially announced by Southampton.
This season, the 20-year-old has featured in 31 games for his Spanish outfit and has chipped in with 1 goal and 1 assist.
Andre Dede Ayew’s most prolific league campaign in a season continued on Sunday, July 5, 2020 when he registered his 14th goal as Swansea City beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 in the Championship.
The Ghana captain converted a penalty in the 66th minute after Connor Roberts was brought down inside the box to double the lead for the home side.
Earlier, Rhian Brewster had opened the scoring in the 52nd minute.
On the 90th minute, the visitors reduced the deficit through Atdhe Nuhiu.
Ayew has now scored more league goals in a season since recording 12 goals in his first year with Swansea City in the 2015/2016.
That performance got him a high-profile move to West Ham United.
English Premier League side Sheffield United want to sign Ghanaian defender Abdul Mumin and loan him to Belgian side Germinal Beerschot for more first-team experience.
The center-back is available on a free transfer at the end of the season at Danish Superliga side Nordsjaelland.
Mumin has made a total of 25 league appearances including 19 starts and has scored one goal.
During the January transfer window, the 22-year-old was close to signing for Belgian top-flight side Zulte Waregem.
The Right to Dream Academy graduate is reported to have attracted interest from English side Brighton, Celtic, Club Brugge, and Genk.
Portuguese giants Benfica and Porto are said to be interested in his services.
English Premier League side Sheffield United want to sign Ghanaian defender Abdul Mumin and loan him to Belgian side Germinal Beerschot for more first-team experience.
The centre back is available on a free transfer at the end of the season at Danish Superliga side Nordsjaelland.
Mumin has made a total of 25 league appearances including 19 starts and has scored one goal.
During the January transfer window, the 22-year-old was close to signing for Belgian top-flight side Zulte Waregem.
The Right to Dream Academy graduate is reported to have attracted interest from English side Brighton, Celtic, Club Brugge and Genk.
Portuguese giants Benfica and Porto are said to be interested in his services.
The Premier League has offered English women’s football £1m to help enable the 2020-21 season to start, chief executive Richard Masters has told MPs.
That investment would help cover coronavirus testing costs at the top end of the game.
Masters also told the Department of Culture, Media and Sport select committee he would like the Premier League to take over the running of the Women’s Super League.
But he said “now isn’t the right time”.
The 2019-20 Women’s Super League and Championship seasons, halted in March, were ended formally on 25 May because of the coronavirus pandemic, with Chelsea declared WSL champions on a points-per-game basis.
Kelly Simmons, the Football Association’s director of the women’s professional game, has since indicated there is a target to start the new season in September, although no dates have yet been announced.
For health and safety reasons, testing players for coronavirus is key to getting the WSL and Championship up and running again. No extra funding for coronavirus testing was available to allow those competitions to extend and complete the 2019-20 campaign.
Masters said: “What we’ve been able to do about the women’s game is to help them to the tune of around £1m to help get their testing programme up and running.
“We’ve recently made that funding gesture to them and I believe on that basis they are able to start their 2021 season.”
The Football Association runs the women’s game in England but Masters said there have been discussions about the Premier League taking over.
He said: “Over the past year, we’ve had lots of dialogue with the FA and our own clubs about the Premier League, at some point in the future, assuming responsibility for the professional game.
“We decided collectively, that’s the FA and the Premier League and the WSL and Women’s Championship boards, that now isn’t the right time but we will return to that topic at some point in the near future.”
The FA announced on Monday it was making extensive cuts to cover losses of about £300m caused by the pandemic.
“We want the women’s game to be successful, which is why we are helping them and why we’ve engaged in those discussions with the FA about resuming responsibility for it,” Masters added.
“From a personal perspective, it is something I would like to do in the future for this organisation – being not just responsible for top of the pyramid in terms of the men’s game but also the women’s game.
“Those two things would work hand in hand very well, and would inspire a generation of young female footballers to get involved in the game.”
The Premier League will be back on the 17 of this month, after almost three months of suspension of football, due to the out break of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The German Bundesliga has already paved the way, in the resumption of football for top European leagues.
The English Premier League will be following the safe running of the Bundesliga, to restart the Premier League.
Aston Villa vs Sheffield United and Manchester City vs Arsenal will be the first game to kick off, on the 17 of this month.
The league leaders, Liverpool are certain to win the league title, they only need six points from the remaining 9 Premier League games.
But the teams that will qualify for the champions league, Europa League and teams that will be relegated from the league are yet to be comfirmed, as the competition still has a lot to play for, in the remaining fixtures, anything can still happen before the end of the season.
That is the Reason why talkSPORT used their trusted supercomputer to predict the final Premier League standing.
Final Standing As Forcasted By Supercomputer
RELEGATED TEAMS
20. Norwich City
19. Aston Villa
18.Brighton & Hove Albion
Norwich City and Aston Villa just gained promotion back into the Premier League last summer, they have both struggled in the Premier League this season, it is almost certain that they will returning back to the championship next season.
Brighton currently occupy the 15 position on the league table with 29 points, two points above 18 placed Bournemouth with 27 points.
After the forcast of the supercomputer, it picked Brighton as the third team that will be relegated, after putting together so many factors.
17. Bournemouth
16. Watford
15. West Ham
14. Newcastle
13. Burnley
12. Southampton
11. Crystal Palace
10. Everton
9. Arsenal
8. Sheffield United
EUROPA LEAGUE QUALIFICATION
7. Wolverhampton
6. Tottenham
5. Chelsea ( Will qualify for the Champions League, if Manchester City ban is up held)
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFICATION
4. Manchester United
3. Leicester City
2. Manchester City ( Will not qualify for the Champions League, if their ban is up held)
1. Liverpool (Premier League Champions)
This prediction by the talkSPORT supercomputer, would have brought joy to the Manchester United fans.
Do you think this prediction can come to pass?
Drop your opinions in the comment section below.
Don’t forget to follow, me so as not to miss out on more fascinating and intriguing football informations
The Autonomous Premier League Advisory Committee, on Monday, June 15, 2020, held their first meeting at the Headquarters of the Ghana Football Association.
The Togbe Afede XIV-led Committee would advise the GFA Executive Council on issues such as objectives of the new format, the requirement from members and the role of the GFA to make the new format a success.
The 5-man committee has been instituted to come up with the modalities, processes and roadmap for the establishment of an autonomous Ghana Premier League and have up to two months to submit their first draft to the Executive Council for consideration.
In attendance were Chairman of the Committee Togbe Afede XIV, GFA Executive Council member Dr. Toni Aubynn (member) and Chairman of the Club Licensing Board, Dr. Kwame Baah-Nuakoh (member). Others included Eric Delali Senaye, Vice-President of Inter Allies Football Club (member) and Mr. John Ansah, Operations Manager of Cape Coast Mysterious Ebusua Dwarfs Football Club (member).
The Committee has extended invitation to all stakeholders including the 18 Premier League clubs, other clubs, players, referees, match commissioners, supporters, football enthusiasts, the media, corporate Ghana and all participants in football to submit inputs through proposals and memoranda for consideration through info@ghanafa.org on or before Friday, July 17, 2020.
The Autonomous Premier League Advisory Committee also indicated its intention to engage club owners and other key stakeholders as part of its quest to ensure that all views are brought into their work.
Premier League players’ names will be replaced on the back of their shirts with ‘Black Lives Matter’ for the first 12 matches of the restarted season.
The Premier League will also support any player who chooses to ‘take a knee’ before or during matches.
Players in Germany have made gestures of solidarity with people protesting about the death of George Floyd.
“We, the players, stand together with the singular objective of eradicating racial prejudice,” read a statement.
In a joint message from all 20 clubs, players added that they were committed to “a global society of inclusion, respect, and equal opportunities for all, regardless of their color or creed”.
A Black Lives Matter badge will feature on all playing shirts for the rest of the season alongside a badge thanking NHS staff for their work during the coronavirus outbreak.
BBC Sport has learned that Watford captain Troy Deeney played a pivotal role in the discussions between club captains and the Premier League, alongside Leicester City’s Wes Morgan.
Deeney’s girlfriend, Alisha Hosannah, has designed the Black Lives Matter badge that will be used on the players’ shirts.
Several Premier League squads have already ‘taken a knee’ in training-ground images shared on social media, and anti-racism charity Kick It Out had asked that players feel free to do so on the pitch.
The Football Association has said it will take a “common sense approach” to such protests.
Four players, including Borussia Dortmund’s England forward Jadon Sancho, were initially investigated by the Bundesliga authorities for making clear their support for anti-racism demonstrations in the wake of the death of 46-year-old Floyd in police custody in the United States last month.
None was subsequently punished and the German Football Association said it would continue to allow such displays of support over the coming weeks.
The Premier League resumes behind closed doors on 17 June after a three-month suspension caused by the pandemic.
‘It’s a great start, but I then want to see something tangible’
Former England, Newcastle and Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas, who made 280 Premier League appearances between 2002 and 2013, hopes the campaign for change continues beyond those first 12 games.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “It’s brilliant that all the clubs and the players have come together and said that this is what they want. I think it’s a great message because the Premier League is one of the most powerful businesses in the world.
“I’m all for it in terms of the representation and for each club and player to be doing it. But I think the question on most people’s lips is: what next?
“What about the week after? Does it just fade out and it’s ‘OK, we did our little bit and it’s gone now’. Or are we actually going to see some real change within our game, our own house?
“There’s been huge conversations about the lack of opportunities for black coaches. We need to quash all of that by starting to implement [diversity] at the hiring level of management, at the top clubs and within the FA.”
Premier League players’ names will be replaced on the back of their shirts with ‘Black Lives Matter’ for the first 12 matches of the restarted season.
The Premier League will also support any player who chooses to ‘take a knee’ before or during matches.
Players in Germany have made gestures of solidarity with people protesting about the death of George Floyd.
“We, the players, stand together with the singular objective of eradicating racial prejudice,” read a statement.
In a joint message from all 20 clubs, players added that they were committed to “a global society of inclusion, respect, and equal opportunities for all, regardless of their color or creed”.
A Black Lives Matter badge will feature on all playing shirts for the rest of the season alongside a badge thanking NHS staff for their work during the coronavirus outbreak.
BBC Sport has learned that Watford captain Troy Deeney played a pivotal role in the discussions between club captains and the Premier League, alongside Leicester City’s Wes Morgan.
Deeney’s girlfriend, Alisha Hosannah, has designed the Black Lives Matter badge that will be used on the players’ shirts.
Several Premier League squads have already ‘taken a knee’ in training-ground images shared on social media, and anti-racism charity Kick It Out had asked that players feel free to do so on the pitch.
The Football Association has said it will take a “common sense approach” to such protests.
Four players, including Borussia Dortmund’s England forward Jadon Sancho, were initially investigated by the Bundesliga authorities for making clear their support for anti-racism demonstrations in the wake of the death of 46-year-old Floyd in police custody in the United States last month.
None was subsequently punished and the German Football Association said it would continue to allow such displays of support over the coming weeks.
The Premier League resumes behind closed doors on 17 June after a three-month suspension caused by the pandemic.
‘It’s a great start, but I then want to see something tangible’
Former England, Newcastle and Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas, who made 280 Premier League appearances between 2002 and 2013, hopes the campaign for change continues beyond those first 12 games.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “It’s brilliant that all the clubs and the players have come together and said that this is what they want. I think it’s a great message because the Premier League is one of the most powerful businesses in the world.
“I’m all for it in terms of the representation and for each club and player to be doing it. But I think the question on most people’s lips is: what next?
“What about the week after? Does it just fade out and it’s ‘OK, we did our little bit and it’s gone now’. Or are we actually going to see some real change within our game, our own house?
“There’s been huge conversations about the lack of opportunities for black coaches. We need to quash all of that by starting to implement [diversity] at the hiring level of management, at the top clubs and within the FA.”
Players and coaching staff will not be required to wear masks at stadiums when the Premier League restarts.
Players will be encouraged not to spit or clear their noses and not to break social distancing during goal celebrations.
There will be no ball boys or girls – a system of sterilised replacement balls will be used.
Aston Villa v Sheffield United will be the first game when the league returns on 17 June.
In Germany’s Bundesliga players and staff have been required to wear masks at all times, except for during play.
In the Premier League they will not have to wear masks at all, even in the changing room or on the bench, although the fourth official as well as doctors and physios will have to.
On Thursday the Premier League announced there will be a minute’s silence to remember those who have died with coronavirus before the first matches.
Heart-shaped badges in tribute to frontline NHS staff will also be worn on kits.
Clubs agreed to a range of medical and operational protocols for the restart of the season at a meeting on Thursday.
There will be strict limits on those allowed into stadiums on matchdays and grounds will be split into zones, including the tunnel and pitchside.
In total only 300 people will be in each stadium, with no more than 110 in the ‘red zone’ including players, club staff and officials.
There will be deep cleaning of corner flags, goalposts, substitution boards and match balls before and after each fixture.
Some extra disinfection, such as of the substitution board after it is used, is likely to take place during matches and at half-time, while other work will be carried out during drinks breaks if they are permitted by the league.
The medical protocols stipulate how squads and coaching staff must travel to and from games, observing social distancing.
Clubs will be encouraged to fly on longer away trips to limit use of hotels, and every player and coach will be temperature checked before they arrive at the stadium.
Players will have to hand sanitise when they enter and leave the field of play.
Meanwhile, players are working with the Premier League on a Black Lives Matter tribute but details are yet to be finalised.
Options discussed by players this week included taking a knee, a Black Lives Matter logo on shirts and players’ names being replaced by the phrase Black Lives Matter.
The Premier League has been suspended since 13 March because of the pandemic.
The fixture schedule for the first three rounds was confirmed on Friday, with 33 of the remaining 92 matches to be shown on free-to-air platforms.
The league will resume on Wednesday when Aston Villa host Sheffield United at 18:00 BST, with Manchester City v Arsenal at 20:15.
Teams returned to contact training at the end of May. In the latest round of testing at Premier League clubs, one person tested positive for Covid-19.
The Safety and Security Committee of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), on Thursday, June 4, 2020, met the Premier League Management Committee to discuss pertinent issues pertaining to safety and security at football games.
The Chairman of the Committee D.S.P Emmanuel Asante led the discussions with support from his vice, L/Col. Donald Asare Bediako and the other members.
The two Committees shared ideas on ways to improve the coordination of safety and security operations at match venues. They also discussed the possibility to training stewards to provide security at venues in the Premier, Division One and other continental games involving Ghanaian clubs and the national team.
The Committee pleaded with the GFA to improve remuneration for security personnel as a form of motivation to deliver good service.
The Safety and Security Committee enquired from the Premier League Management Committee (PLMC) led by Lepowura Alhaji M.N.D Jawula the various degrees of challenges faced with clubs in the provision of safety and security support and recommendations to address these challenges.
The Chairman of the PLMC assured the Safety and Security Committee of its maximum support in cooperation and adherence to ensure mutual positive results for the development of football in Ghana.
The Safety and Security Committee will soon roll out manual and model and this engagement is believed to inform them on key areas to critically examine in the final documentation.
Premier League clubs voted unanimously on Wednesday to resume contact training as the English top-flight took a significant step towards a possible restart in June.
The Premier League was put on hold in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, with Liverpool agonisingly close to the title.
Clubs returned to training in small and socially distanced groups last week but they have now moved to stage two of the “return to training protocol”.
“Premier League shareholders today voted unanimously to resume contact training, marking another step towards restarting the Premier League season, when safe to do so,” the league said in a statement.
“Squads are now able to train as a group and engage in tackling while minimising any unnecessary close contact.”
It added: “Discussions are ongoing as work continues towards resuming the season, when conditions allow.”
The small number of positive tests from the first two rounds of testing at Premier League clubs has raised hopes of a return next month.
Eight cases of coronavirus among players and staff have been detected from 1,744 tests in the Premier League.
In the second-tier Championship, just two positive tests were registered from 1,014 tests.
A targeted return date of June 12 was described by Premier League chief executive Richard Masters last week as a “staging post”.
Players and coaches have argued they will need until at least the end of June to reduce the risk of injuries after such a long lay-off.
Some players have voiced fears over their safety and that of their families due to the virus.
Watford captain Troy Deeney has not returned to training after three positive cases were registered by the Hornets over concerns he could spread the virus to his five-month-old son.
French World Cup winner N’Golo Kante has also been given permission by Chelsea to train at home.
Germany’s Bundesliga has already managed to complete two rounds of fixtures since returning behind closed doors and there has been little player opposition to La Liga’s plans to return in Spain from June 11.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson said playing at an empty Anfield and winning the Premier League title with no fans present would be “pretty strange”.
Liverpool were 25 points clear of 2019 champions Manchester City when the league was shut down, on the verge of being crowned English champions for the first time in 30 years.
“Of course it would feel different because if you win any trophy and receive it without any fans there, it would be pretty strange,” he told the BBC.
“We still have work to do and we still need to perform at a high level right the way until the season finishes because we want to finish as strongly as we can to make sure it is a full season,” he added.
Premier League players could be 25% more susceptible to injury when football resumes because of the intense schedule, research shows.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters is “as confident as we can be” of restarting in June.
Time will need to be found for the FA Cup before the 2020-21 season starts in “late August, early September”.
Based on Project Restart’s provisional return date of 20 June, Manchester City players could face 13 games in 49 days.
City have played one fewer match than the majority of Premier League clubs but these figures do not take into account the completion of the Champions League, which has the potential of adding another four games should they reach the final – if the tournament can be concluded.
Research conducted by artificial intelligence platform Zone7, which specialises in injury risk forecasting and works with 35 professional football teams worldwide, shows that playing eight matches in a 30-day period increases the incidence of injury by 25% when compared with playing four to five matches in the same timeframe.
Eight matches in 30 days may seem a regular occurrence but only 4% of players across a season are subjected to such a run of games.
It is not just the congestion of the fixture list that poses a concern, but the time provided for teams to transition from individual, socially distanced training to higher-intensity group training, something Watford manager Nigel Pearson and Newcastle boss Steve Bruce are concerned about.
The Bundesliga was only officially given the go-ahead to recommence on 7 May, just nine days before the first fixture kicked off. Eight players picked up injuries in the six games on 16 May – a rate well above normal.
Borussia Dortmund beat local rivals Schalke 4-0 as football returned in Germany
A standard pre-season schedule runs for a period of 30 days, or even longer.
But when examining data from 11 top-division professional teams from the past two seasons, Zone7 found that when the preparation period shortens, due to an international tournament or entry into European competition, 75% of teams had higher prevalence of injury in the first half of the season when compared to those that had more planning time.
Flaminia Ronca, an exercise physiologist at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, part of University College London, is working with Premier League players to assess what health risks they may face when returning after the suspension.
She said: “It’s possible that the players may have lost up to 15% of their fitness, which they now need to regain in a very short time.
“And I think this is really where the science of training becomes so crucial. Coaches will have to be very creative and combine the most effective methods of training with the safest injury prevention methods, all condensed into this very tight timeframe.”
Over five million hours of performance from various sports, including those 35 professional football teams, has been gathered by Zone7 and this data is used to assess the probability of a player sustaining an injury in the following seven days.
Millions of data points are taken from wearable technology that tracks workloads from training and matches, player injury history, fitness tests, and even sleep patterns to generate daily risk forecasts.
Historical data is used to detect data patterns that precede injuries and alert when those data patterns emerge and help prevent the injury before it occurs.
From here, teams are given risk forecasts and not only can they identify the type of injury a particular player could sustain if they are deemed “high risk”, modifications can be made to that player’s bespoke training schedule to avoid the injury occurring. Zone7 states it can provide accurate and timely alerts for 75% of injuries.
England’s Premier League football clubs have been given the green light to begin non-contact training in small groups from today but could face surprise inspections to ensure they adhere to new safety guidance.
GPS tracking and video analysis are also being considered, with the Premier League eventually aiming to have an inspector at every training ground.
“That will enable us to give confidence the protocols are being complied with,” said Richard Garlick, the league’s director of football.
“We are looking at bringing in our own independent audit inspection team that we’ll scale up over the next few days which will give us the ability to have inspections at training grounds to start with on a no-notice basis.”
Defender Jeremie Frimpong says it is a ‘dream come true’ to win his first Scottish Premier League title.
The Dutch born Ghanaian right back became a first time winner of the competition after Celtic were declared champions following the cancellation of the league due to COVID-19.
“Dreams do come true if you stick to your goal!,” he posted on Twitter.
Celtic were confirmed champions of the Scottish Premier League on Monday with Hearts of Midlothian relegated following a decision at a board meeting after the 12 clubs agreed at the end of last week that completing the campaign was unfeasible.
An average points per game played has been used to determine final placings.
The only change to the table from when football was halted on 13 March is that St Johnstone go sixth, above Hibernian.
The Champions were 13 points ahead of nearest challengers Rangers – having played a game more – when the season was put on hold. There were eight more games to be played.
This is the ninth Scottish Premier League title on a row for Celtic and Frimpong’s first, having joined from Manchester City last summer.
Dutch born Ghanaian defender Jeremie Frimpong has won his first Scottish Premier League title with Celtic F.C in his first season with the club.
The trophy is the 20-year old right-back’s second major title of the season after winning the Scottish League Cup last December.
Celtic were confirmed champions of the Scottish Premier League on Monday with Hearts of Midlothian relegated following a decision at a board meeting after the 12 clubs agreed at the end of last week that completing the campaign was unfeasible.
An average points per game played has been used to determine final placings.
The only change to the table from when football was halted on 13 March is that St Johnstone go sixth, above Hibernian.
The Champions were 13 points ahead of nearest challengers Rangers – having played a game more – when the season was put on hold. There were eight more games to be played.
This is the ninth Scottish Premier League title on a row for Celtic and Frimpong’s first, having joined from Manchester City last summer.
South African Premier League senior manager, Luxolo September has advised the Ghana Football Asociation against the replication of the South African autonomous league model in their bid to run the Ghana Premier League as an independent body.
The GFA recently announced that they have begun the process of making the Ghana Premier League autonomous.
However, there have been talks that the FA plans to follow the South African model after a delegation including current GHALCA boss Kudjoe Fiano was sent there to go and study the model they use in running their league.
Advising the GFA from replicating the exact model the South Africans use, he told them to develop their own from what they learned from the PLS than to do ‘copy and paste for the GPL’.
“Ghana should decide what model is good for them, from the Commercial, Sponsorship, Product points of view. The most popular league in South Africa is the local league, not Manchester United, Chelsea or the English League,â€
“We are in a stage where Africans are watching EPL and killing their own league.â€
“I hope Ghanaian radio is not about the English Premier League, because here in South Africa all radio stations are about local football, local products, and local talents and we hope to share this lesson with Ghana and learn from Ghana as well,†he told Takoradi based Skyy Power 93.5 FM.
Some exceptionally gifted players have come from overseas to light up the Premier League, and we are celebrating the talent that has arrived from a few selected nations.
We are looking at the achievements of the Premier League’s top Ghanaians and we want to know who you think has been the best.
A total of 25 players from the West African country have featured in the Premier League, with Nii Lamptey being the first when he represented Aston Villa in September 1994.
Tony Yeboah became the first Ghanaian goalscorer in the competition when he struck for Leeds United in February 1995.
It was one of 24 Premier League goals he scored, some of which were truly breathtaking.
Indeed, Yeboah’s goal tally is the joint-highest among his countrymen but is close to being surpassed by Jordan Ayew.
The Crystal Palace forward has scored a career-high eight goals in the current campaign, boosting his total to 24 since his first came for Aston Villa against a Swansea City side which featured his brother, Andre Ayew.
In terms of appearances, Michael Essien leads the way with 168 for Chelsea. The two-time champion is one of only three Ghanaians to lift the Premier League Trophy.
The others, Jeffrey Schlupp and Daniel Amartey, were both parts of Leicester City’s fairytale 2015/16 campaign.
Ghana’s most-capped player and highest-ever goalscorer also made his mark on the Premier League.
While Asamoah Gyan’s time in the competition was brief, he reached 10 goals in one season for Sunderland, where he was joined on loan by his compatriot Sulley Muntari.
Three seasons prior Muntari had helped Portsmouth to their highest-ever Premier League finish as ended the 2007/08 campaign in eighth place and won the FA Cup.
Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson is ready to take part in the Premier League’s proposed restart during the coronavirus crisis despite being in the vulnerable age group.
Hodgson is the oldest manager in Premier League history at 72, potentially putting the former England coach in danger if he contracts the virus.
But Hodgson said he had no fears about getting back to work if the Premier League stick to their plan to let clubs start training next week.
Asked if he would be able to return, Hodgson told beIN SPORTS: “Yes. No concerns. Age is age. It’s how you feel really. Your age doesn’t necessarily relate to your fitness or how you’re feeling, or your capacity to do a job.”
Hodgson, whose long managerial career has included stints at Liverpool and Inter Milan, said he had used the enforced break since the Premier League was suspended in March to work on his fitness.
“So I have no qualms whatsoever,” he said. “When I’m called back to work I shall be very happy to go back to work.”
Several Premier League players have expressed concern about putting themselves and their families at risk.
Newcastle defender Danny Rose and Manchester City stars Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling are among the players to go public with worries about being forced back into action too soon.
Hodgson said he and Palace chairman Steve Parish would not have a problem if any of his players did not want to return to work before they felt completely safe.
“This is going to be a matter for the individual and a matter for the club at the end of the day,” Hodgson said.
“I would be very surprised, knowing my club and Steve Parish as I do, that he would not be sympathetic to a player that came and said: ‘Look, I have serious reservations about playing’.”
The Premier League says it has listened to the objections of some clubs to the use of neutral grounds if the season resumes and will support them in putting those views to the authorities.
Chief executive Richard Masters said the organisation was in an “ongoing dialogue” with government, police and ground safety officials.
“Everybody would prefer to play at home and away if at all possible, and it’s clear to see some clubs feel more strongly about that than others,” he said after a shareholders’ meeting.
“We are in contact with the authorities and listening to that advice, while also representing club views in those discussions.”
He said “a really strong collective will to complete the season remains” but admitted that “curtailment” of the season was discussed for the first time at the meeting.
Two weeks ago clubs were told neutral stadiums were the only way the season could be completed, because authorities were concerned about fans congregating outside home grounds and breaching social distancing rules.
But at least six clubs are opposed to the proposal in the Project Restart plan, with Watford, Aston Villa and Brighton coming out publicly against it.
Those clubs now want the chance to show they can deliver home and away matches safely, and league bosses are behind them.
“Since Covid became an issue we’ve been talking to the authorities about the conditions in which we could get the Premier League back up and running and taking all that advice on board, but it is an ongoing dialogue,” said Masters, speaking for the first time since the season was suspended.
“But all must be cognisant of what authorities are telling us, and we’ll continue with that consultation.”
The government is understood to have “open ears” regarding neutral venues and is prepared to discuss the matter. However a final decision is likely to rest with the police and ground safety officials, who have to grant licences to venues.
Last week the head of the UK’s football policing unit, deputy chief constable Mark Roberts, said clubs opposed to neutral grounds should “get a grip”.
Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson also told the BBC he feared thousands of the club’s fans would gather outside Anfield to celebrate the title, even if matches were played at neutral venues.
However, recently retired West Yorkshire chief superintendent Owen West told the Guardian that the use of neutral stadiums had “no rationale”, and such a proposal was not being enforced in Germany where the Bundesliga hopes to resume this weekend.
Despite mounting tension and division over the use of neutral stadiums, Masters said Monday’s five-hour meeting showed a “strong desire to discuss everything in the round, and to agree a collective way forward”.
He insisted a “really strong collective will to complete the season remains”.
But he also admitted than a cancellation of the season was discussed for the first time.
“It’s the first time we’ve discussed curtailment,” he said. “It’s still our aim to finish the season obviously, but it’s important to discuss all of the options with our clubs.
“Obviously we won’t be playing until the middle of June. It doesn’t seem quite right to be talking about playing before we’ve taken a decision to return to the first stage of training.
“But in terms of how those matches will take place there’s a lot of water to pass under the bridge, and we’ll continue to assess the circumstances then.
“What was agreed today was that players can extend their contracts beyond 30 June, until the end of the season.
“It must be agreed by both parties and a later date can be scheduled for that, no later than 23 June so that date was pushed back a little to help with that situation.”
The government have published a 50-page document for lifting the coronavirus-enforced lockdown in England which could see the Premier League restart on June 1.
A guide for exiting the lockdown was released on Monday afternoon, with social distancing measures to remain in place as various activities are resumed across the country.
Step two of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “roadmap” clears the way for the current football season get back underway next month, with all remaining fixtures set to be played behind closed doors until public safety can be guaranteed.
The new document has been titled ‘Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government’s Covid-19 Recovery Strategy’, and the lifting of restrictions is conditional upon the continued adherence to protocols which have been put in place to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Whether or not supporters will be able to attend matches before the end of the campaign remains unclear, as step three proposes a reopening of venues such as cinemas and hairdressers in July.
However it also includes the following warning: “Some venues which are, by design, crowded and where it may prove difficult to enact distancing may still not be able to reopen safely at this point, or may be able to open safely only in part.
“Nevertheless, the Government will wish to open as many businesses and public places as the data and information at the time allows.
“In order to facilitate the fastest possible reopening of these types of higher-risk businesses and public places, the Government will carefully phase and pilot reopenings to test their ability to adopt the new Covid-19 secure guidelines.
“The Government will also monitor carefully the effects of reopening other similar establishments elsewhere in the world, as this happens.
“The Government will establish a series of task forces to work closely with stakeholders in these sectors to develop ways in which they can make these businesses and public places Covid-19 secure.”
The document continues by stating that fans being granted access to stadiums over the summer “may only be fully possible significantly later depending on the reduction in numbers of infections”.
Some Premier League clubs have already voiced their concerns over ‘Project Restart’, with Aston Villa, Watford and Brighton anxious over the prospect of home advantage being taken out of the equation.
A number of players have also publicly expressed doubts over returning to the pitch, including Manchester City star Sergio Aguero and Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger, amid the continued rise of coronavirus cases in England.
Three Brighton players have been placed in self-isolation over the last week after testing positive for the illness, with Spain and Germany having similar issues as they attempt to reopen doors in La Liga and the Bundesliga.
Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has said it is hard to see fans returning to matches “any time soon”.
If the Premier League and Football League resume then those matches will be played behind closed doors.
The Premier League are also preparing for the possibility of playing the 2020-21 season without fans.
“The reality is that we just don’t know how things are going to pan out,” Clarke wrote in a letter to the FA governing council.
“But with social distancing in place for some time to come we do face substantial changes to the whole football ecosystem.
“For example it’s hard to foresee crowds of fans – who are the lifeblood of the game – returning to matches any time soon.”
Clarke said the FA’s executive team has been “building out different scenarios that we might potentially face as a result of the pandemic.”
He also warned a budget cut of £75m will be “sensible” this year.
“In a worst-case scenario, this would be necessary for the next four years to offset a £300m deficit,” he added.
“Clearly that will impact many of our plans as every area of the game will be touched and projects that we all value will be affected.”
‘Clubs rebelling against neutral stadiums’ Top-flight clubs have been told that using up to 10 neutral stadiums will be the only way to complete the season.
Brighton say they are “not in favour” of using neutral venues because it may affect the “integrity” of the league.
Clubs near the bottom of the table feel it is unfair to play in such different conditions when at risk of relegation.
A growing number of Premier League clubs are open to playing the remaining fixtures at neutral venues but with the threat of relegation removed.
The BBC has learned that the Premier League fear between six or seven clubs are opposed to neutral stadiums.
But there is also a sense that within that group there are disagreements over how they want the season to end.
What next?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will reveal his “roadmap” out of lockdown on Sunday and that means that the Premier League’s next meeting will be delayed until next week.
The Premier League has been suspended since 13 March because of the coronavirus pandemic but all clubs are committed to playing the 92 remaining fixtures of the 2019-20 season if and when safe to do so.
Former captain of Inter Allies Isaac Twum has encouraged Ghana Premier League clubs to embrace the return of experience footballers rather than tagging them as lame dark.
Some section of Ghanaian football advocates describe players who are in their late 20’s as old and waste and that, cannot add value to the game anymore.
But report gathered in the local media suggest that, experienced footballers like Sulley Muntari and Asamoah Gyan are subject of interest for Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko.
Twum, who was named as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2017 WAFU cup of nations after leading the Black Stars B to lift the trophy thinks that the Ghana league will be better off with experience players like Gyan and Muntari.
“The return of Gyan and Muntari in the GPL will help a lot. Even players plying their trade in the local front will be extra motivated to share the field with these stars. Again, their influence will also help the clubs to generate money, so I will entreat clubs not to rule out on players who have seen it allâ€
“Those players participating in the league will raise its standard and also people will be excited to watch†he told Bryt Power Sports in an interview.
Ghana goalkeeper, Richard Ofori says he is stunned with the performance of Maritzburg United but believes his side have a good chance to finish in the top three of the South African Premier League.
Maritzburg nearly suffered relegation last season but got a lifeline to remain in the topflight through playoffs but they have come good this campaign and are currently fifth on the league log with 39 points from 24 games.
According to the former Wa All Stars goalkeeper, they all came into this campaign with good mentality after struggling last year and it had worked well for them.
“This season has been amazing. Coming from playoffs last season we all came with a positive mentality to win and do our best for the team and the city,” Ofori told kickoff.
“We are doing our job with full commitment and thanks to the fans that give us the best atmosphere to play in.”
Ofori is also the only shot-stopper who has been nominated for the Kickoff ABSA Premier League Player of the Year award and he is pleased with it as his stock continues to rise.
“As a keeper, I feel happy, honoured and excited to be nominated as one of the footballers of the year,” he added.
“I would like to thank God for the blessings. It’s not often to see a keeper nominated in these awards so the mere fact that I am part of it this year means my efforts and hard work are noticed there.”
“But all is made possible through God and most importantly my entire team as a whole who gave me the best and most comfortable environment to work in.”
Ofori has kept 10 clean sheets and conceded just fifteen goals in the 23 league games he has been in post this season for the team of choice.
Despite extending his contract with Maritzburg United by one more year, he still remains a summer transfer target of Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates as well as Belgian side Gent.
Veteran Ghanaian midfielder Gladson Awako has shared that he will rate the Ghana League over the league in Congo if he compares the kind of pitches used in the two countries.
The captain of Accra Great Olympics has spent 5 years in Congo between 2012 and 2017 where he played for African giants TP Mazembe.
Having tasted football in the two countries, he says he can say the Ghana League is better than that of Congo.
“One thing I will say is their league is not better than ours. The league over there is not better than ours here. If you see some of the pitches we played on it is so bad.
“Over here we are lucky sometimes we get better fields to play on and all that. Over there you travel and you play on a very rough field. There is not even grass field to play on. So with that our league here is so much better than the one in Congoâ€, Gladson Awako explained in an interview with Accra-based Angel FM on Monday.
He added, “The only thing is they always get the chance to be in the Champions League, to get to the money zone and it is only TP Mazembe and Vita Clubâ€.
Former Aduana Stars and Ghana goalkeeper Stephen Adams has disclosed that he rejected offers abroad to stay with the Premier League outfit because of the way he was treated.
The 30-year old reveals he was comfortable with the ‘Ogya Boys’ and was never in a haste to leave the shores of Ghana to continue his career abroad.
“I had a lot of offers during days but couldn’t leave because of the treatment,” he told Sikka Sports.
Adams was one of the finest goalkeepers in Ghana during his time with Aduana and was a member of the Black Stars team that represented Ghana at the World Cup in 2014.
Currently unattached the experienced shot-stopper is believed to be on his way to Great Olympics ahead of the second round of the Ghana Premier League.
Adams played a key role when Aduana won their first Ghana Premier League title in their maiden season in 2009.
Kayserispor midfielder Bernard Mensah has hinted he could leave the club in the summer in search of Champions League football as the Turkish side faces relegation.
The 25-year-old is believed to be angling for a move away from Turkish Süper Lig in search of a club with Champions League ambition.
The Ghanaian has been linked with giants Galatasaray as well as Be?ikta? though no offer has been tabled.
Mensah appears open to a move away from the Kadir Has Stadium if the right opportunity presents itself at the end of the season.
“I love Kayseri. It is nice to stay in Kayserispor, I love the team and the city. But I have goals. I will be very pleased if I play football in the Champions League.” he said from the club’s live broadcast on its social media account amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The former Atletico Madrid midfielder has now put a host of interested clubs on notice by targeting top-level European football as one of his chief career aims.
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