Football transfer rumours: Jean-Philippe Mateta to Aston Villa?
Today’s fluff is splashing out regardless
Liam Delap may not have broken any records during his time with Chelsea but he is setting one on his way out the door. The England youth international is thought to be breaking Nottingham Forest’s transfer fee record with Oliver Glasner bringing him in for an expected £50m. The fee comes despite a disappointing 2025-26 season with the 23-year-old striker scoring only one Premier League goal.
Injury problems with his shoulder and hamstring did not help but the lack of return means the Blues were open to selling the striker and Forest have taken the bait. If Delap does sell for £50m it also means Chelsea will make a £20m profit on the player after buying him from Ipswich for £30m in 2025. catcrossgame.com
Continue reading...Manchester City confirm Bouaddi signing as Marmoush and González head out
Spurs to take Marmoush on loan with obligation to buy
City agree £52m Nico González sale to Newcastle
Manchester City have confirmed the signing of Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille for €95m (£81.4m) plus €5m, with the 18-year-old midfielder agreeing a five-year contract.
Bouaddi’s arrival comes after City struck deals to loan Omar Marmoush to Tottenham for the season, with an obligation to buy for an initial £50m, and sell Nico González to Newcastle for £52m.
Continue reading...Bristol City ready to ‘supercharge growth’ and prove women’s clubs can fly solo
After a split from the men’s team, CEO Hannah Buckley is overseeing an ambitious rebuild with WSL promotion firmly in sight
As radiant, August sunshine glistens around a peacefully silent Aston Gate before Bristol City Women’s pre-season media day, Hannah Buckley takes a seat, pitch side, with a gleam in her eye, surveying the scene. The sight of a top-class venue makes her beam in a way that perhaps only somebody whose CV includes job titles such as regional facilities manager and head of infrastructure, safety and sustainability can. Nice stadiums, particular ones used by women’s sports teams, give her a kick.
But after more than 20 years in football, the past eight at the WSL, Buckley is working on building something rather different: a club capable of thriving independently from the auspices of a men’s club. She was appointed as the Women’s Super League 2 side’s chief executive in May, starting her role in June, at a fascinating time in the team’s history, after they were taken over by the investment group Mercury13 last year to break away from the Bristol Sport group that oversees Bristol City’s men’s team and the city’s rugby union and basketball sides.
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