In January of 2018, Philippe Coutinho became the second-richest transfer in soccer history when he moved from Liverpool to Barcelona. Essentially a replacement for Neymar, who had months earlier become the richest transfer ever, Coutinho never really quite fit in, as the impending Coutinho Bayern loan deal illustrates.
With all due respect to Whitney Houston, who had one of the greatest voices ever, we think Alphonso Davies has just performed the greatest rendition of “I Will Always Love You.”
The transfer window looms for the Premier League clubs, and time is ticking for some huge deals that are still on the table. While sales can still happen until late August, all Premier League acquisitions must be finalized by Aug. 8 by 5 p.m. Here are some of the Premier League transfer rumors still on the table as the end of the window nears.
Kieran Tierney — Arsenal
Who else is counting down the days until the Premier League begins? I know I am. With a wealth of talent in the league, it’s hard to know which Premier League players to focus on.
Some players on this list of those to watch are newcomers to the league, others are looking to follow up breakout seasons. Here are the Premier League players you should watch this season.
Arsenal: Nicolas Pepe
After making six Bundesliga appearances for Bayern Munich last season following his January move from the Vancouver Whitecaps, much more is expected from 18-year-old Canadian phenom Alphonso Davies during his first full season in Bavaria. Although Davies only totaled 74 minutes of action with the first team last year, he was the Bundesliga’s youngest goalscorer throughout the 2018-19 campaign (as well as Bayern’s youngest goalscorer in 20 years) after opening his account against Mainz back on March 17.
Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) has been making headlines over the past few months by waging a steady assault on FIFA’s rights to everything in club soccer; most notable was an exclusive deal with Juventus, meaning that the club’s name, badge, kits and Allianz Stadium will only be available in PES 2020 — FIFA 20 players will have to make do with ‘Piemonte Calcio.’
Tuesday it was reported that Ed Woodward, Manchester United’s Chief Executive, will not be traveling to meet the squad while on preseason tour. This usually means Woodward will be dealing with important transfer business ahead of the upcoming Premier League season. Woodward is not Manchester United’s director of football, however he was brought in by the Glazer family to help the club increase its commercial outreach and revenue; a way of achieving that is through high-profile transfers.
If the big-wigs of soccer are looking at the Forbes World’s 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams 2019, you can bet your bottom dollar they’re thinking “European Super League.” Back in 2012, only one team across all sports was worth at least $2 billion, that being Manchester United. Now, 52 teams meet that criteria, including almost every NFL team.
With contracts ending on June 30, there's a slew of footballers who'll be free to sign with the club of their choosing in a few days. This is a list of who I believe to be the most valuable free agents on the market. The players range from established veterans to promising youngsters, and while they vary in terms of talent and experience, I feel that evey one of them is capable of making an important contribution to the club they eventually sign for.
Here are my top 10 free agents heading into July.
The latest football clubs’ valuation study has been released by KPMG, revealing the 32 richest soccer teams in Europe as of January 1, 2019. There’s been a shakeup at the top, where Real Madrid has climbed above Manchester United as the world’s most valuable club.