يستعد الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد بقيادة تشابي ألونسو، لاستكمال مشواره في الموسم الجديد 2025/2026 بعد مباراته أمام رايو فاليكانو، ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني.
وخاض ريال مدريد مباراته أمام رايو فاليكانو عصر اليوم، الأحد، في تمام الساعة الخامسة الربع مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، السادسة والربع بتوقيت مكة المكرمة.
واستقبل رايو فالكيانو نظيره ريال مدريد، في المباراة التي تجمعهما ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية عشر للدوري الإسباني “لا ليجا”.
وحسم التعادل السلبي مباراة ريال مدريد ورايو فاليكانو بنتيجة 0/0، ليتعادل فريق ألونسو للمرة الأولى هذا الموسم.
اقرأ أيضًا | ريال مدريد يتعثر بتعادل سلبي مع رايو فاليكانو في الدوري الإسباني
بتلك النتيجة، حافظ ريال مدريد على صدارته لجدول ترتيب الدوري الإسباني “لا ليجا” برصيد 31 نقطة، فيما وصل رصيد رايو فاليكانو إلى 15 نقطة في المركز الـ12. موعد مباراة ريال مدريد القادمة بعد التعادل مع رايو فاليكانو في الدوري الإسباني
ومن المقرر أن تكون مباراة ريال مدريد القادمة أمام إلتشي في بطولة الدوري الإسباني “لا ليجا”، مساء يوم الأحد الموافق 23 من شهر نوفمبر الحالي.
ويحل ريال مدريد ضيفًا على نظيره إلتشي، في إطار منافسات الجولة الثالثة عشر من بطولة الدوري الإسباني، في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، الحادية عشر بتوقيت مكة المكرمة.
Manchester United claimed their first three points at Anfield in the Premier League since January 2016 when they beat Liverpool 2-1 on Sunday.
The Red Devils have had to wait almost a decade to taste success on the red half of Merseyside, but it came at a great time for Ruben Amorim and his side.
It took around one minute for the away side to take the lead in the match as summer signing Bryan Mbeumo swept the ball into the back of the net.
The Cameroon international has scored three goals in nine matches since his move to Old Trafford in the summer transfer window, and looks to have been a shrewd addition to the squad.
After missing out on European football and losing the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur last season, it was clear that the club needed to invest in the quality of the team.
The Red Devils went for quality over quantity in their recruitment during the summer transfer window, as they only made four significant additions to the squad.
Ranking Man Utd's summer outfield signings
Man United signed Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £62.5m, Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig for £66.4m, Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford for £71m, and goalkeeper Senne Lammens for £18.2m.
This means that the Premier League giants made three outfield signings to bolster their squad, but all three of them rank within the club’s nine most expensive signings in their history.
When ranking the three outfield signings, it is hard not to put Cunha at the bottom for now. That is not because he has been a flop or because he has performed poorly, but because he has yet to register a single goal or assist for the club.
Bruno Fernandes
3.62
2
Benjamin Sesko
2.7
2
Bryan Mbeumo
2.62
2
Amad Diallo
1.67
0
Matheus Cunha
1.53
0
As you can see in the table above, Sesko and Mbeumo have both notched two Premier League goals for the Red Devils since their big money moves to Old Trafford, whilst Cunha has yet to score from 1.53 xG.
Of the three attackers, Mbeumo is also the only player who has registered an assist for the club. He teed up Mason Mount for the opener in the 2-0 win over Sunderland before the international break.
Therefore, we are ranking the former Brentford star as the pick of the bunch from the three outfield signings, with Sesko in second place, and Cunha in third, for now. However, there is plenty of time left for that to change as the season progresses and players settle into the team.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Now that we have analysed the outfield signings from the summer window, it is only right that we assess how Senne Lammens has started his United career, as he is already looking like he can be a Bruno Fernandes-type player.
Man United's new Bruno Fernandes-type player
When United spent £56m to sign the Portugal international in January 2020, not many would have expected him to hit the ground running in the way that he did.
Bruno scored 12 goals and provided eight assists in 22 appearances in all competitions during his first six months in England, per Transfermarkt, which was a remarkable start to life at Old Trafford.
The United skipper has since racked up 100 goals and 87 assists in 299 appearances for the club in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, with his latest assist coming for Harry Maguire against Liverpool.
Maguire and Bruno combined to seal the three points for United on Sunday, but it was Lammens who Amorim should be thanking for his performance between the sticks.
The Belgian shot-stopper has made a lightning-fast start to life in goal for United, in the same way that Bruno made a lightning-fast start to life in midfield for the club back in 2020.
A first-choice goalkeeper is a crucial position for a top team. Manchester City have Gianluigi Donnarumma. Liverpool have Alisson, when he is fit. Real Madrid have Thibaut Courtois.
United have been stung by poor goalkeepers in recent seasons, with the likes of Altay Bayindir and Andre Onana, but Lammens looks to be someone they can rely on in net.
The signing from Royal Antwerp has prevented 2.19 goals in his first two matches, conceding one goal, and made several key stops against Liverpool, outperforming Maguire, who did not win a single ground duel, per Sofascore.
United’s central defender may have scored the winner, but his blushes were spared in the first half when Lammens brilliantly denied Alexander Isak, after the Swedish forward got the run on Maguire and Luke Shaw.
Lammens’ brilliant start to life at Old Trafford may also be a sign of things to come from him, if his statistics from the 2024/25 campaign, in which he was hailed as “phenomenal” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, are anything to go by. As it happens, Kulig called him “a new hero” for Old Trafford after his display on Sunday.
Senne Lammens (Pro League)
+15.57
Jordan Pickford (Premier League)
+6.15
Matz Sels (Premier League)
+4.55
Mark Travers (Premier League)
+4.48
Ederson (Premier League)
+4.46
Dean Henderson (Premier League)
+3.14
As you can see in the table above, the Belgian titan prevented a staggering 15.57 goals with his shot-stopping in the Pro League last season, around nine more goals than any Premier League goalkeeper prevented.
After just two appearances in the division, per Sofascore, Lammens ranks as the third-best goalkeeper in the Premier League for goals prevented, behind Dean Henderson and Robin Roefs.
This illustrates the immense impact that the 23-year-old shot-stopper has made since his debut against Sunderland, as he has won his side potentially four extra points with his impressive stops against the Black Cats and Liverpool.
United and Amorim will now be hoping that Lammens can continue to shine and win points for United between the sticks, in the same way that Bruno continued to win points with goals and assists after his excellent start in 2020.
Watch out Mount: Man Utd's "incredible" talent can steal the no.7 shirt
Manchester United have a star on their hands who could take the number seven shirt off Mason Mount.
A expectativa por uma arrancada do Vasco nesta reta final do Brasileirão tem um grande símbolo: Pablo Vegetti. Oficializado no início de agosto, o “Pirata” não demorou para se tornar uma peça importante na luta contra o rebaixamento.
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O atacante cruz-maltino foi eleito o melhor jogador do Brasileiro de setembro, mês no qual estufou a rede quatro vezes em quatro partidas. A ascensão de Vegetti até desembarcar na Colina, porém, aconteceu de maneira curiosa.
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MATURIDADE A FAVOR
Os mares foram revoltos para o “Pirata” em seu início de trajetória no futebol argentino. O atacante demorou a engatar uma sequência em alto nível.
– Pablo jogou muito nas equipes da segunda divisão argentina (Primera B). Quando houve a oportunidade de jogar no Gimnasia La Plata, não rendeu e, com isso, perdeu tempo. Passou a rodar por muitos clubes, mas não fazia muitos gols e isso o prejudicava, em especial por ser centroavante – recordou o jornalista Damián Ramírez, da Rádio Mar Del Plata.
Segundo o jornalista, o panorama mudou nos últimos anos, em especial pelo desempenho do jogador.
– Ele amadureceu muito nos últimos três anos. Quando estava no Instituto, de Córdoba (clube da Primera B), começou a fazer muitos gols. Posteriormente, continuou a se revelar goleador com a camisa do Belgrano – afirmou Ramírez.
No Instituto, Vegetti fez 15 gols em 23 jogos. Entre 2020 até 2023, marcou 64 vezes em 122 partidas no Belgrano. Acima dos números, a desenvoltura do atacante chamou atenção.
– Vegetti é um goleador nato. Trata-se de um atacante fixo, bom cabeceador, que se tornou referência do Belgrano e chegou ao posto de capitão da equipe. Teve uma grande passagem aqui – destacou Germán García Grova, comentarista da TyC Sports.
Aos olhos de Grova, o jogador de 34 anos expôs o quanto estava amadurecido em campo quando atuou pelos “piratas”.
– Ele se destacou quando estava amadurecido. Designaram ao Vegetti uma responsabilidade em uma idade importante e ele esteve à altura do que esperavam – explicou.
TREINADOR APONTA AS QUALIDADES DE PABLO VEGETTI
A repercussão em torno do início de trajetória de Vegetti com a camisa do Vasco não chega a surpreender quem o acompanhou de perto. Treinador do Belgrano desde 2020, Guillermo Farré foi veemente ao apontar o que tem sido crucial para o atacante continuar a ser contundente na Colina.
– Pablo vem conseguindo um grande rendimento no Brasil por sua grande mentalidade competitiva. Ele tem uma mentalidade ganhadora, um grande profissionalismo e está sempre trabalhando para ser o melhor. Jogadores com essa mentalidade atuam muito bem em qualquer país no qual disputem competições – assegurou.
Farré destacou algumas peculiaridades do “Pirata”.
– Ele tem uma grande obsessão pelo gol, e isso permite sempre que o Pablo vá por mais. Além disso, fora de campo é um grande profissional, que cuida extremamente do seu corpo para se manter sempre em alto nível – explicou Guillermo Farré.
Vegetti atuou 923 minutos com a camisa cruz-maltina, e em sete das dez partidas que disputou, ficou em campo nos 90 minutos. A confiança do fôlego e nos gols do “Pirata” fica acentuada rodada a rodada. O Vasco volta a campo no dia 18, uma quarta-feira, quando recebe o Fortaleza, às 21h30, em São Januário.
Arsenal know their quality, and they know that they have it within them to beat Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon and keep the hype train moving forward.
The Premier League pace-setters just feel a bit special this year, don’t they? So balanced, so graceful, so dangerous. Defensively, Mikel Arteta’s Gunners are a force to be reckoned with, an unbreakable wall, conceding so few chances.
Palace are an entertaining side, though, and they know how to score a goal. Though Oliver Glasner’s Eagles haven’t scored an overload of goals so far this season, they have created more xG (expected goals) than any other side in the Premier League.
Premier League 25/26 – xG Leaders
Club
Goals scored
xG
Crystal Palace
12
17.1
Man United
15
16.1
Liverpool
16
15.7
Man City
17
14.4
Arsenal
15
13.6
Data via FBref
The Emirates will expect three points, nonetheless. However, injuries, ever the bane of Arteta’s progress, could potentially knock the backline out of kilter.
Arsenal team news
The big concern. Gabriel Magalhaes faces a fight to be fit for the weekend clash, having left the pitch with a concern as Arsenal thrashed Atletico Madrid 4-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday night. The Brazilian centre-back scored one and assisted another.
Should Gabriel be sidelined, the likes of Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera will be ready to dovetail into an iron-clad defensive line and stave off the Palace threat.
Much has been made of Arsenal’s attacking quality this season. ‘Boring’ is what Arteta’s frontline have been called. This is nonsense, and the emphatic win over Atletico emphasises the deadly array of talent the manager has at his disposal.
In particular, this could be a big match for Bukayo Saka, who has not yet hit his prolific stride this season, three goals from nine matches in all competitions, but remains the focal point for his side, creating 2.3 chances and winning 6.3 duels per Premier League game, as per Sofascore.
However, the England international can’t do it alone. Viktor Gyokeres must carry his continental form back onto the domestic scene, while Gabriel Martinelli will fancy his chances of kicking on after coolly converting in midweek.
But Martinelli may not start this one, with another Thierry Henry-esque Arsenal talent gunning for his place.
Arteta must unleash Arsenal's new Thierry Henry
Henry is one of the greatest players in Premier League history, and possibly the finest to ever wear an Arsenal shirt. Saka could retire with a similar reputation in north London, based on the 23-year-old’s early-career exploits, but there’s another who could start to perform with shades of the long-retired Frenchman.
And that starts this weekend, against Crystal Palace.
For Eberechi Eze, it’s a big one. The silky forward takes on the club who herald him as a hero, with Arsenal having signed the Three Lions star from Crystal Palace for £67m this summer, completing their frontline.
Aged 27, Eze is one of the finest wingers in the country, effortlessly good on the ball. His dribbling ability is a thing to behold, and he is a talented playmaker besides.
He is not, it’s worth stressing, the same kind of player as Henry, whose goalscoring prowess was simply incredible, far beyond the grasp of all but a select few Premier League players across the past three decades.
But there are similarities to be pulled. In 1999, Henry joined the London club from Juventus in a club-record deal. He was a World Cup winner, linking up with compatriots Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit.
Highly regarded, it took Henry a while to find his feet in front of goal. Indeed, he went seven matches without a maiden strike in England’s top flight. In spite of this, he ended the campaign with 26 goals and 12 assists across all competitions, 17 goals in the Premier League.
And it’s not like Eze doesn’t know how to score. Last season, for Palace, he posted 14 goals and 11 assists across all competitions, proving the difference as Oliver Glasner’s project took off the ground in the closing months.
Moreover, his talismanic performances for Palace last year, notching the winner against Manchester City in the FA Cup final, showcase his big-game aura, something Henry had in bucketloads during his time at the Emirates.
Eze loves Crystal Palace dearly, but that will not stop him from striking against the Selhurst Park side, and Arteta might want to capture that potential on Sunday afternoon.
Eze might not have quite the same attacking repertoire as Henry, but he’s a fleet-footed, show-stopping wide forward, with analyst Ben Mattinson going as far as to hail him as a “superstar”.
But, there’s no denying he needs to start playing a little more prolifically, with just one goal and three assists to his name across all competitions in an Arsenal shirt. Eze has played 12 times under Arteta’s wing.
Perhaps he will look to take a leaf from Henry’s book in that regard, and marry his exceptional physical and technical qualities with a sharpness in the final third.
It will come. Eze’s level of talent is unquestionable, and he has proven across a number of years his quality and ability to provide clinical results in the Premier League.
And what better way to kick that off than against his former club, who herald him as a hero but may be forced to taste their legend’s ability as Arteta and Arsenal look to take another stride toward that elusive Premier League trophy.
Bergkamp 2.0: Arsenal's "magic" star can turn Gyokeres into the new Henry
Could Arsenal’s “magic player” alongside Viktor Gyökeres replicate the club’s best-ever attacking partnership of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp?
Things weren’t looking so great for Chelsea just a couple of weeks ago.
Enzo Maresca’s side were coming off their third loss on the bounce, and there was some frustration among the fans.
However, thanks to an incredible performance against Liverpool and a last-minute goal from Estevao, things at Stamford Bridge are starting to look up.
The Brazilian wonderkid is the man of the moment after that goal, and that, combined with some of his other exciting cameos, all point towards him being a first-team star come the end of the season.
Chelsea look like they’ve struck gold with the former Palmires gem, but had they been able to keep hold of another sensational talent who left for nothing, they’d have two Estevao-level prospects in the squad today.
The youth stars that got away for Chelsea
Cobham is a powerhouse of an academy, and one that has served Chelsea well over the years, whether by producing players for the first team or ones to be sold for big profit.
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.
However, as with all big clubs, the Blues have also lost several youngsters who went on to be superstars, sometimes due to poor decisions and sometimes through no fault of their own.
Two players that unfortunately fall into the former category are, of course, Declan Rice and Michael Olise.
The Englishman was famously part of the academy side that featured Mason Mount. He was released in 2013 at the age of 14, joined West Ham United, and then moved to Arsenal in 2023, where he could potentially win the league.
Olise, on the other hand, left the club in 2016 in what was reportedly a “mutual decision,” and has since gone on to star for Reading, Crystal Palace, and now Bayern Munich.
A former Cobham gem who left despite the club’s best efforts was Jamal Musiala.
The German international joined the club’s academy system from Southampton in 2011 but moved to Bayern Munich in July 2019, which netted the West Londoners just £180k.
Unfortunately for Chelsea, something similar happened again last September for a player who could end up being as good as Estevao.
The homegrown Estevao Chelsea lost
Unfortunately, the homegrown Estevao Chelsea lost for nothing is none other than Liverpool’s latest wonderkid, Rio Ngumoha.
Liverpool star Rio Ngumoha
The 17-year-old joined the Reds’ academy set-up from the West Londoners in September of last year.
Unlike with Rice and Olise, for example, the club made every effort to keep him in the capital, but it just wasn’t enough, and he made his way to the North West for nothing.
However, while the Blues have not yet received anything for the youngster, they will eventually be paid; it’s just that, at the moment, the amount has not been decided upon by a tribunal.
Whatever it ends up being, though, the club would likely prefer the youngster, as he’s already looking like a homegrown Estevao.
Liverpool U18s
10
3
Chelsea U18s
9
2
Liverpool U21s
9
2
Liverpool first team
6
1
Liverpool youth league
6
1
For example, in the game against Newcastle United, he came off the bench late on to score a last-minute winner that would have had a similar impact on the fans as the Brazilian’s did last weekend.
Moreover, the “phenomenal talent” as dubbed by his former youth coach, Saul Isaksson-Hurst, is looked upon as one of the game’s future stars.
According to one analyst, he is “one of the best young wingers in Europe”. At the same time, Ben Mattinson has praised him for being a “technical dribbler with an explosive burst of acceleration,” which makes him “dangerous in 1v1s” and sounds a lot like the Blues’ new young superstar.
Ultimately, it is still early in both their careers, so it’s hard to be completely sure how they will fare going forward. However, as things stand, it looks like Ngumoha could be a genuine rival to Estevao in the coming years.
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Esmae MacGegor takes 3 for 19 but Essex succumb in final over
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Fran Wilson marshalled the Somerset chase•Getty Images
Amanda-Jade Wellington played a match-winning innings under pressure as Somerset beat Essex by four wickets at Taunton’s Cooper Associates Ground to register their first win of the Vitality Blast T20 campaign in their tenth game.The Australian international raised 29 from 23 balls, struck four fours and shared in a crucial stand of 45 off 29 balls for the fourth wicket with Fran Wilson, who contributed 41, as the home side chased down a victory target of 156 with three balls to spare.Esmae MacGregor claimed 3 for 19 to keep Essex in the hunt, but Wellington and Alex Griffiths, required to score 16 runs off the final 17 balls, held their nerve to carry the cider county to their first win of the season at headquarters.Returning from England A duty, Jodi Grewcock top-scored with 45 from 34 balls and shared in a stand of 58 for the third wicket with Cordelia Griffith, who contributed 31, as Essex posted 155 for 5 after being put into bat. The pick of the Somerset bowlers, Wellington returned figures of 1 for 25 from four overs.Deputising for the injured Sophie Luff, stand-in Somerset captain Niamh Holland won the toss, inserted the opposition and watched her bowlers reduce the visitors to 30 for 2 in 4.1 overs. Lauren Winfield-Hill plundered three boundaries in moving effortlessly to 19 from 14 balls, only to be cut down in her pomp by an Olivia Barnes delivery that pinned her in the crease. Three balls later, fellow opener Grace Scrivens followed the former England batter back to the pavilion after pulling a shortish ball from Erin Vukusic to midwicket for 6.Charged with the task of repairing the damage, Griffith and Grewcock advanced the score to 40 for 2 at the end of the powerplay and 66 for 2 at the halfway stage, despite finding boundaries hard to come by. The 50 partnership occupied 45 balls and Griffith, having raised 31 from 29 balls, was beginning to accelerate when she attempted to pull Mollie Robbins to the deep midwicket boundary and succeeded only in finding Griffiths with the score 88 for 3.That was the cue for Grewcock to take centre stage, the England A batter opening her shoulders to harvest three successive fours in an over from Barnes as the fielding side came under real pressure for the first time. Grewcock had made 45 from 34 balls and was eyeing a half-century when she gave the charge to Wellington’s legspin and holed out to Vukusic at long-on.Essex were 115 for 4 in the 16th over with work still to do as Jo Gardner joined Maddie Penna in the middle. These two staged a useful stand of 40 from 27 balls, Australian Penna scoring 21 at a run a ball and the forthright Gardner 22 from 12 deliveries, to hoist Essex to a competitive total.Somerset required the reassurance of a good start and Bex Odgers and Holland provided exactly that, adding 41 in five overs before the former blotted her copybook and top-edged to short third for 20 off the bowling of Eva Gray. Holland had also scored 20 when she surrendered her wicket in similar fashion next over, skying a catch behind off MacGregor as the home side slipped to 41 for 2.Buoyed by her half-century against Hampshire last time out, Wilson hit the ground running as Somerset passed 50 in the seventh, while debutant Ruby Davis calmed any nerves by straight-hitting Gray for four as the third-wicket partnership began to profit. These two added 46 in 36 balls and were threatening to take the contest by the scruff of the neck when Davis, having raised 19 from 16 balls, attempted to reverse sweep MacGregor and was adjudged lbw with the score 87 for 3 in the 12th.Wellington drove Grewcock down the ground and pulled Sophia Smale for four to serve notice of her intentions, but Abtaha Maqsood and MacGregor kept things tight to push the asking rate above eight. Somerset’s fourth wicket pair took 15 off the 15th, bowled by Smale, at which point they required 35 off the last five.Victory looked to be a formality, only for Wilson to dance down the wicket and lose off stump to MacGregor with 24 needed off 22 balls. Wellington then hit Scrivens to long-on in the final over, but Griffiths and Chloe Skelton saw the job through.
British taxpayers will have to foot a bill to the tune of £2 million (€2.27m/$2.62m) if West Ham United are relegated from the Premier League this season. The Hammers are currently 19th in the league table after enduring a torrid season which is yet to pick up following the appointment of manager Nuno Espirito Santo as Graham Potter's successor.
Nuno replaced Potter at West Ham helm following poor start to season
Nuno was handed the reins at West Ham at the end of September after former head coach Potter was dismissed. The 50-year-old, who has since taken charge of Sweden, was sacked after only eight months at the helm following a start to the 2025-26 season which saw the club lose four of their first five league games.
West Ham suffered defeats against Sunderland, Chelsea, Tottenham and Crystal Palace, though they did register a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, in what turned out to be Nuno’s final game in charge at the City Ground. The Portuguese guided Forest to seventh in 2024-25 – their highest finish since the 1994-95 campaign – but was dismissed after just three league games this season. Nuno had previously revealed his relationship had "changed" with Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, amid his frustration over the club’s summer transfer activity.
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Captain Bowen admitted club are 'in trouble' following Leeds defeat
Nuno’s appointment is yet to lead to an upturn in form, with West Ham failing to win any of their first four games under his stewardship. After earning an impressive 1-1 draw at Everton on 29 September, the east Londoners have since suffered three successive league defeats against Arsenal, Brentford and Leeds United.
Speaking after their latest reverse against Leeds, West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen admitted the club are "in trouble now", telling after the game: "A dressing room when you're second bottom of the league is low. The only way this will change is if we step up and show some fight.
"We need more of that. It's easy to hide and be scared almost. It's easier said and harder to do sometimes. You have to face up to the reality of where we are and we're in trouble now.
"We've talked as a group, but it's down to the players as well. We speak to each other, but there's only so much. It's got to come from within. We haven't been great at home, but now is the time to roll your sleeves up."
Taxpayer will feel brunt if West Ham are relegated
With West Ham continuing to struggle, a new report in claims the British taxpayer would have to stump up £2m if they are relegated this season. The report claims that, under the terms of their 99-year lease for playing at the London Stadium, West Ham’s annual rent of £2.5m will be halved should the club drop into the Championship.
The report also says control of the stadium, built to host the 2012 London Olympics, was handed to the Greater London Authority, with the London Legacy Development Corporation retiring from the operating company, E20 Stadium LLP, and being replaced by GLA Holdings Ltd. However, the most recent accounts – for the year ending March 31, 2024 – highlighted an operating loss of £20.9m in public money, given that the amount of rent West Ham pay does not cover stadium operating costs.
And with West Ham currently languishing near the bottom of the table, the report concludes by saying that, given the club’s current form, there could be further expense to the British taxpayer because of an agreement detailed in the stadium concession agreement.
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Influential West Ham midfielder Paqueta sanctioned by FA
The news comes after West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta was sanctioned by the Football Association (FA) for "two proven breaches" following their investigation into alleged spot-fixing. The Brazil international has subsequently been reprimanded and given a warning over his future conduct by a regulatory commission, after a hearing found he had "failed to comply with a requirement to answer questions and provide information to The FA’s investigation into breaches of the Rules." Paqueta had previously denied the two charges.
In a statement on their official club website, West Ham said: "West Ham United acknowledges the statement published by the Football Association today, confirming that Lucas Paqueta has received a warning as to his future conduct, following two proven breaches of FA rule F3, after he was cleared of misconduct charges made against him for alleged breaches of FA rule E5. West Ham United and Lucas Paqueta are pleased that this matter is now finally closed. The Club will be making no further comment."
Derbyshire get home comfortably to significantly dent Yorkshire’s quarter-final prospects
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay06-Jul-2025A brutal innings from Aneurin Donald drove Derbyshire Falcons to a seven wicket victory over Yorkshire in the Vitality Blast North Group at Chesterfield.Donald reached 50 off 13 balls, the joint fastest in the Blast, and smashed seven sixes and eight fours in 85 from 30 balls as the Falcons cruised to a target of 201 in 17.2 overs with Wayne Madsen unbeaten on 38.It condemned Yorkshire to an eighth consecutive Blast defeat at Queen’s Park and puts a big dent in their chances of reaching the knockouts.Jordan Thompson hit four sixes in an 11 ball unbeaten 37 to take Yorkshire to 200 for 6 which looked competitive until Donald engaged the turbo with 90 coming in the powerplay.By contrast, Yorkshire started sedately before Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan found their range. Malan lifted Alex Thomson over cover for six and then straight drove Zak Chappell into the pavilion.Bairstow lofted Pat Brown out of the ground but the Falcons dismissed both openers in consecutive overs. Malan was bowled coming down the pitch to Mohammad Ghazanfar and Bairstow went trying to run Chappell to third man.After two tight overs, James Wharton pulled Martin Andersson for six but Will Luxton failed to clear long-on in Samit Patel’s second over.Wharton certainly did when he drove the Falcons skipper over the sightscreen and he dispatched Ghazanfar for another maximum in the 15th over. But his next attempt to clear the ropes landed in the hands of long-on to leave Yorkshire 125 for 4 in the 15th.Matty Revis also fell to a good running catch at long-on but Will Sutherland and Thompson took 22 off the 18th over from Chappell. Ross Whiteley pulled off a stunning leaping catch on the cover boundary to dismiss Sutherland but Thompson smashed three sixes off the last over from Chappell which cost 24.Donald launched the chase by taking 20 off Dom Bess and 25 came off the second over from Matt Milnes which included two big sixes from Donald. The onslaught continued with Donald swatting Will O’Rouke for another six and he reached his landmark 50 which also included six fours in the fourth over.Only 10 came off the next two overs but Donald scooped O’Rouke for his fifth six as the Falcons reached 90 without loss at the end of the powerplay.Donald swept Jafer Chohan for six to bring up the 100 in the eighth over and the opening stand with Caleb Jewell was worth 115 before the Australian mistimed a pull at Sutherland.Donald’s remarkable innings ended when he pulled Chohan to deep midwicket but there was no way back for Yorkshire as Madsen and Whiteley easily completed the Falcons third group victory.
Tea Harry Brook picked off his ninth Test century in an afternoon session bossed by England, with India still smarting from Jamie Smith’s astonishing 80-ball hundred on day three of this second Test at Edgbaston.Both Smith (157) and Brook (140) went into tea unbeaten and dominant, the hosts 355 for 5, still trailing India by 232 but bossing matters ever since Mohammed Siraj removed Joe Root and Ben Stokes in consecutive deliveries. That left England 84 for 5 in the 22nd over, still trailing in their first innings by 503.They have not looked back since Smith walked out and drove the hat-trick delivery for four down the ground. The keeper-batter went into lunch unbeaten on 102, his second Test hundred, with 17 boundaries. Brook, meanwhile, still had nine runs of his own to pick off for his century.He’d get there four overs into the second session, guiding the ball through the cordon, between gully and second slip, off Prasidh Krishna for his 13th boundary to take him to three figures off 137 deliveries. It was Brook’s first century against India, and only his second at home, having fallen for 99 in his first innings of the series at Headingley.Mohammed Siraj struck twice in an over early on day three•Getty Images
Smith had polished off his three-figures in one session, joint-third fastest on deliveries by an Engishman, and now has his second-highest first-class score. The keeper-batter was more or less a-run-a-ball up until he locked horns with Krishna in the over before the drinks break. With Shubman Gill chasing the match earlier than he needed to, Krishna was ordered to bounce Smith, who cashed in handsomely with four fours and a six smashed high over fine leg, taking the over for 23.Having reached his hundred with back-to-back fours off Ravindra Jadeja in the final over of the morning, both he and Brook played the afternoon steady. Only 106 was added in the 28 overs between lunch and tea, with the collective slowdown evident in the fact it took 101 deliveries for this sixth wicket stand to move from 200 to 250.Now at 271, it is the third-highest partnership for the sixth wicket and lower against India. The second new ball, which is just five overs away, feels like India’s only hope of splitting Smith and Brook, though Nitish Kumar Reddy did find Smith’s edge on 121, but Rishabh Pant could only get fingertips to the chance.
Newcastle United fans won’t want to dwell on Alexander Isak’s notable summer exit at all now.
The Magpies’ former fan favourite definitely left on sour terms in the summer when he forced through a mighty £125m move to Arne Slot’s Reds, though, having bagged a weighty 62 goals for the Tyneside giants across 109 outings.
Luckily, Eddie Howe’s men have recovered strongly from what had the potential to be an earth-shuddering setback, as Nick Woltemade came in through the door to instantly replace the superstar Swede for a whopping £69m.
He has filled the Isak-shaped hole well, too, with a blistering six strikes already in his back pocket for the Premier League titans from just 12 games. In stark contrast, Newcastle’s ex-star man has only one meagre effort next to his name at Anfield.
Worryingly, though, the “first class” Woltemade – as Eddie Howe has recently labelled him – has been a rare bright spark at St James’ Park this season, despite only just entering the English game.
On the contrary, many of Newcastle’s stalwarts who have been in and around the Magpies’ first team long before the 6-foot-6 menace’s arrival have been below-par this campaign, with all of Newcastle’s mounting issues clear for all to see, as they collapsed to a 3-1 defeat away at lowly West Ham United last time out.
The biggest problems facing Newcastle in 2025/26
Newcastle must wish they could only play in the Champions League at the moment, with the Magpies picking up a lethal eight goals across two wins so far in that competition, as they re-enter the illustrious stage on Wednesday night against Athletic Club.
From a far larger pool of games back in the Premier League, ten to be exact, Howe and Co only have a slim three wins next to their name, with the 3-1 defeat picked up at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon sparking St James’ Park royalty Alan Shearer into labelling the loss on the road as a “rotten” performance.
It was far from Newcastle at their very best, that’s for sure, with Woltemade even letting the side down with just 14 touches of the ball, as the Magpies only had an early Jacob Murphy effort to shout about in the attacking positions.
Defensively, the travelling Toon looked all over the place, too, with more question marks popping up at the close of the loss at the London Stadium as to how Dan Burn remains in Howe’s starting XI.
Howe has had to count on his ageing number 33 to be a stand-in in the left-back spot for the majority of the season so far, with one Newcastle-based content creator even stating that persisting with the 33-year-old here is the “stuff of nightmares.”
The Blyth-born defender certainly had an afternoon to forget in East London to back up these comments, with zero tackles and only two duels being won, as Howe now prays he has Lewis Hall back to full fitness shortly to bring this long-standing experiment to a close.
Newcastle’s long-term injury list
Player
Games missed
Yoanne Wissa
13
Tino Livramento
7
Lewis Hall
6
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Injuries have been a real pain this season so far for the Premier League underperformers, with Newcastle’s lack of depth in defence – due to Hall being in and out of the treatment room – meaning they have had to rely solely on Burn in a makeshift left-back position.
Moreover, their frustrations in this department have, no doubt, only been strengthened by the fact that summer arrival Yoanne Wissa has not been able to line up for one single Magpies game so far this season, after joining for a bumper £55m from Brentford.
With 45 Premier League goals next to his name for the Bees, he would have been a breath of fresh air for Newcastle fans to latch on to, in a similar fashion to Woltemade.
Instead, with Wissa sidelined and many more issues coming to the forefront, the feel around St James’ Park is arguably stale, with Joelinton also now showing visible signs of rust.
Yet, he continues to be selected week in, week out – like Burn – despite zero goals or assists coming his way this campaign so far.
He isn’t the only first-team star that is crumbling right now, however.
£100m Newcastle star now looks "all over the place"
Newcastle turned a few heads this summer when gaining £125m after Isak left the building.
But, this trend of selling one of their prized assets for around the £100m mark could amazingly continue on, if rumours surrounding Anthony Gordon’s long-term future at St James’ Park were anything to read into the same window Isak departed.
Indeed, the Merseyside-born winger was being tipped to relocate to Anfield, much like his former teammate, for an equally ludicrous fee, with statistician Statman Dave even noting that Gordon can be “unplayable” on his day, like the lethal Swede, as well.
The England international loved linking up with Isak when he was still situated on Tyneside, with eight of the Scandinavian’s aforementioned 62-goal tally coming directly from a Gordon assist.
On top of that, the former Everton youngster turned Newcastle first-teamer also has 26 goals in total for Howe’s men, with nine of those efforts coming just last season to pique the Reds’ clear interest.
But, away from some flashy performances in the Champions League so far this season, with Jose Mourinho even waxing lyrical about the 24-year-old when his Benfica side came to St James’ Park, Gordon has cut a disinterested presence in Newcastle’s ongoing demise in the Premier League.
The hot-and-cold number ten is now deep in a 19-game patch in the top-flight, where he has picked up zero goals and assists.
Worryingly for Newcastle, this isn’t the first instance where Gordon has mentally checked out of proceedings, having left behind boyhood employers Everton mid-season – in controversial circumstances – to jump ship to the Toon in early 2023.
While that was a major plus at the time, as Newcastle didn’t have to play the long game, it should have been a slight warning sign for what the future could hold, with the attacker even being hauled off at the half-time mark against West Ham, after an “awful” 45-minute spell, in the words of journalist Luke Edwards.
Further said to be looking “all over the place” at the moment by journalist Adam Clery, it could be that Gordon is just hurting from his synergy with Isak going to the wayside, as a possible £100m move to Anfield in January – to link back up with his deadly former teammate – now looking way off the cards.
In the same breath as criticising Newcastle’s recent downfall, though, Shearer has also offered some pearls of wisdom to the likes of Gordon, with this big-game mentality and the constant need to entertain, now having to be replaced by a “back to basics” approach to get off the mark in the league, sooner rather than later.
If Gordon can get back to his best in the bread and butter of the league, Newcastle will surely rise in the league standings, with an unsatisfactory 13th spot at the time of writing, just not cutting the mustard.
Worse than Pope: Howe must drop Newcastle star who lost 100% ground duels
Eddie Howe has a lot of Newcastle United selection decisions to ponder over after his side collapsed to a 3-1 loss away at West Ham United.