big-six

“I’m not naive, I know it’s going to be very different, very difficult.” That opening gambit of Ruben Amorim’s first press conference as Manchester United manager summed up what has become the toughest assignment in world football. After his first year at Old Trafford, grizzled veteran of the coaching game Jose Mourinho described his maiden […]

How would you define the success of a football transfer? Maybe it’s how the player performs on the pitch and how they galvanise their new team? Perhaps it’s when a player is later sold on for a profit? The latter offers an insight into net transfer spend, which presents an idea of how effective a […]

We normally associate the most money-spinning sponsorship deals in sport to be between a team and a commercial partner. But what about those companies that actually manufacture the kits that the teams play in? They are equally as desperate to have their brand name associated with the biggest and most popular sports clubs on the […]

Chelsea’s descent into mid-table mediocrity in the Premier League during the 2022/23 has been made even more surprising given that they have spent £430 million – yes, you read that correctly – on new players in the summer and winter transfer windows. New owner Todd Boehly’s ambition, and bank balance, knows no bounds as he […]

It’s one of the worst kept secrets in football, but the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have finally revealed publicly that they have put Liverpool FC up for sale. John Henry and Tom Werner have reportedly slapped a £3 billion or higher price tag on the Reds, and have instructed Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to […]

There’s that old wives tale that it’s always raining in Manchester (a myth, of course), but for Manchester United supporters right now it never rains but it pours. From the wretched eras of David Moyes and Jose Mourinho as manager, to the failed experiments of Louis van Gaal, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and co, the past […]

As the 2021/22 Premier League season draws to a close, it’s looking increasingly likely that Manchester City and Liverpool will occupy positions 1-2 in the league table at the conclusion of the campaign. But in which order? That is, of course, the million dollar question. Since Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp joined their respective teams […]

Is the future of Chelsea FC in jeopardy given the uncertainty over Roman Abramovich’s future? The Russian has been sanctioned as part of the UK government’s campaign against oligarchs with links to Vladimir Putin, and the diagnosis is not good for the Londoners. Abramovich’s assets have been frozen, and that means that his plan to […]

Many of football’s big clubs have flirted with the idea, but Manchester United – for the first time in their 119-year history – have appointed their maiden Director of Football. The honour falls to John Murtough, who might not exactly be a household name but who has been employed by the club since 2013 and […]

Anyone with even just a passing interest in football will know of the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United. It’s a conflict that is both competitive, given how they have battled for supremacy in the beautiful game in England over the decades, and geographic, with barely 30 miles separating their respective Anfield and Old Trafford […]

It’s the age-old question: which is the most successful footballing city in England? You could extend it out to the whole of the UK, with Glasgow – where Celtic and Rangers reside – also entering the conversation, but as far as England is concerned there are three main contenders that immediately spring to mind. London, […]

He may have a cool name, but Edward Woodward – the executive vice-chairman of Manchester United – is not the coolest of operators when it comes to the thrifty acquisition of footballers. This is a guy, after all, who is reportedly refusing to give the green light to United’s £120 million pursuit of Jadon Sancho, […]

Looking back on the 2019/20 football season, the likelihood is that in years to come people will look back and remember the carnage caused by the pandemic and the disruption that ensued. Liverpool fans won’t – they’ll remember their beloved outfit winning the Premier League title for the first time in three decades. Pundits will […]

It was a breaking news story that sent shockwaves through world football. Manchester City have been banned from competing in European club competitions for two seasons after being found guilty of ‘serious breaches’ of UEFA’s financial fair play regulations. There’s also the not-unsubstantial spectre of a fine of £25 million, which would be coupled with […]

The thing in life, and especially sport, is that a pat on the back is just a few inches from becoming a kick up the backside. Given all he has achieved at Manchester City, domestically anyway, it’s a surprise that rumours are circulating that Pep Guardiola may be considering a future away from the club. […]

The paper-thin gap between Manchester City and Liverpool at the end of the 2018/19 campaign was one point, but in reality it was perhaps one man who made all of the difference. Vincent Kompany returned to the City starting eleven towards the tailend of the season, and his presence was colossal as his side just […]

After eleven years, 360 games and twelve trophies, Vincent Kompany’s career at Manchester City has come to an end. The Belgian colossus, who has been club captain throughout their trophy-laden period of the past decade, will move on now we’re at the end of the season and take the reins as player-manager of Anderlecht in […]

Most who witnessed Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final could scarcely believe their eyes. Trailing 0-3 from the first leg, without key players in Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino AND with a Premier League title decider to consider on Sunday, the Reds achieved the unthinkable. Powered on by the raucous Anfield […]

It was just like any other game of football, and yet the result – and the gulf in class – between Manchester United and Barcelona in their Champions League quarter final spoke volumes. The Catalan outfit ran out 4-0 aggregate winners, with the second leg at the Nou Camp a 3-0 hammering. It was like […]

Costing £1 billion and coming in a cool six months late, all with an interest in Tottenham Hotspur FC will be hoping that their new ground lives up to the hype. Fortunately, it appears as if it will, with a variety of space age innovations suggesting that Spurs, finally, will be able to raise the […]

Finally, it appears as though FIFA are going to crack down on the big European clubs poaching youngsters and barely paying a penny for the privilege. Both Manchester City and Chelsea have fallen under the governing body’s microscope, and the punishments dished out are far greater than a simple fine. Chelsea, as you may already […]

Arsenal ‘welcome’ Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening in a match that is as likely to be as fiery as the filling in the Balti pies served up at half time. These two sides have always enjoyed a bitter rivalry, but that has perhaps been exacerbated in the past two decades or […]

Even though the players involved are mostly anything but, Liverpool vs Chelsea is a quintessentially English football fixture. It pits red vs blue, north vs south, flair vs belligerence. And yet those contrasts are exactly what make this match-up so keenly contested, and so religiously enjoyed by supporters, pundits, armchair watchers and punters. This Saturday’s […]

It’s the second gameweek of the Champions League 2017/18, and already the competition has thrown up a contest that could well be the final – such is the quality and pedigree of the two teams involved. Chelsea travel to Atletico Madrid’s new Wanda Metropolitano home on Wednesday evening in a game that features numerous narratives […]