Took my son, Ezra, to his first game of football on Saturday. Featuring a Pools win and a poonami from the away end at Ebbsfleet. The Monkey Hangers have a new cheeky monkey in their ranks 💙
It was definitely not Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal, say adidas, who have used the 500Hz IMU sensor inside the match ball to show there was no contact. Images attached
@MailSport
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has offered the NHS full use of Stamford Bridge's Millennium Hotel, which they've accepted. Asymptomatic staff from NW London hospitals will stay there to save long commutes. Abramovich committed to picking up all costs. More on
@MailSport
EXCLUSIVE: West Ham's Lucas Paqueta is being investigated by the FA for potential betting breaches. Follows news that talks over a move to Man City collapsed today. Full story on
@MailSport
with
@Jack_Gaughan
Exclusive: Fulham are asking for £90MILLION for Joao Palhinha. Stunning valuation to scare off suitors for 27yo midfielder contracted until 2027. West Ham were interested in Palhinha as a Declan Rice replacement
Arsenal have had a first bid worth up to £55m for centre back Dayot Upamecano rejected by RB Leipzig, who want Emile Smith Rowe included in the deal. Talks continuing today. Story on
@MailSport
soon
West Ham hopeful they can come to agreement with Arsenal over latest offer for Declan Rice (£100m + £5m). Fee is fine. Issue is structure of payments. Talks ongoing. But right now, Rice never been closer to becoming an Arsenal player
Liverpool v Arsenal moving from 8.15pm KO to 8pm on Monday night I’m told. Pubs’ 10pm curfew meant fans would have missed the end of the match
@MailSport
Sorry to report that Everton legend Mick Lyons has dementia, diagnosed last year at 69. But he's in good spirits and was able to reminisce about getting the 44D bus to Goodison as a kid and how lucky he felt to captain the club he loves
Full story below. Arsenal value Emile Smith Rowe at £25m. Leipzig open to taking him on loan or permanent. Both clubs hopeful deal can be done before Thursday's deadline
Arsenal have had a first bid worth up to £55m for centre back Dayot Upamecano rejected by RB Leipzig, who want Emile Smith Rowe included in the deal. Talks continuing today. Story on
@MailSport
soon
Exclusive: Chelsea set for serious windfall if Bayern Munich sell Jamal Musiala this summer due to 20% sell-on clause from 2019 switch of academies. Told no buy-back was included. Manchester City and Liverpool been linked for £80m+
Exclusive interview with Ashley Cole. His side of the story on tapping up, leaving Arsenal for Chelsea, and being known as a ‘bad guy’. I found him to be anything but
This by Josephine Sutton, wife to Mike and mum of
@chris_sutton73
, is a heartbreakingly lovely tribute to someone who was clearly a wonderful husband and father. Please read it all
Told
#CFC
fans have organised a gigantic Conor Gallagher banner for tomorrow. Will carry the message "Chelsea since birth" ahead of facing Tottenham, who could swoop this summer amid contract stalemate. Same size as the ones for Thiago Silva, Reece James, etc.
@MailSport
Word from West Ham is Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Man Utd have all registered their interest in Declan Rice. First bid of £80m + £10m add-ons was rejected immediately. Hammers banking on a bidding war that will drive price up and over the £100m mark
Exclusive interview with Leeds’ No 9 Patrick Bamford. Insight into Marcelo Bielsa and how, unlike other managers, he doesn’t give a damn about his “privileged” background
Exclusive for
@mailplus
and a Premier League first – Mike Dean, VAR for Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham, discusses his regret at not sending referee Anthony Taylor to his monitor to review Cristian Romero's hair pull on Marc Cucurella before Spurs' equaliser
Exclusive: David Moyes is staying as West Ham manager. Held talks with David Sullivan over future. Will enter into final year of his contract. Full story
@MailSport
Exclusive interview: Basham, Egan and O’Connell sound like a firm of solicitors but they’re the three Sheffield United centre backs who have taken the Premier League by storm. Unique access with
@martinkeown5
Update: Sources claim the Lucas Paqueta investigation centres on bets placed with bookmakers in Brazil, that they relate to in-game incidents, and that accounts were traced back to Paqueta Island in Guanabara Bay, which is where the player grew up. With
@MattHughesDM
EXCLUSIVE: West Ham's Lucas Paqueta is being investigated by the FA for potential betting breaches. Follows news that talks over a move to Man City collapsed today. Full story on
@MailSport
with
@Jack_Gaughan
@dwright75
Bar in Middlesbrough posted this to their social media this morning. They’ve decided not to open today because of trouble last night. It shouldn’t be so difficult to enjoy England being in a final without misbehaving
Dale Jennings signed for Bayern Munich for £1.8m at 18 years old but is now at Runcorn Town aged 25. A story of too much, too young, involving severe pressure, Dietmar Hamann and a cupboard of Pot Noodles
Martin O’Neill interview on all things Celtic, Wycombe, Brian Clough, Roy Keane and how he’s spent longer on sponsored walks than he did as Nottingham Forest manager. Wonderful work by
@chris_sutton73
Fantastic tale, this. The day
@chris_sutton73
had to hide in the Highbury toilets from furious Arsenal players. Includes Patrick Vieira breaking his nose a year later then an attempt at revenge gone wrong
Exclusive interview with Paul Gascoigne. Part one talking all things Euro 1996, that night out, that goal and that celebration, recreated with Jamie Redknapp
Exclusive interview with Celtic manager Neil Lennon on 10 in a row, the scrutiny after replacing Brendan Rodgers, signing Virgil van Dijk for £2.6m and when we might see him in the Premier League. Great quizzing by
@chris_sutton73
NEW: Mike Dean is staying in the Premier League after signing a deal to become a dedicated VAR next season. Retired from refereeing in May. Full story on
@MailSport
Lost my Grandad to dementia. Towards the end, his eyes would light up if you mentioned the 1973 FA Cup final, one of the few things he could remember. Sunderland's Dave Watson, former England captain, starred that day. Now he's struggling, too. Interview:
That Andre Onana challenge on Sasa Kalajdzic. If the PGMOL truly want to be transparent, the conversation between the referee Simon Hooper and VAR Michael Salisbury needs to be included in their first ‘Match Officials Mic’d Up’ show next month
Great anecdote in this from
@chris_sutton73
about the time he hammered an assistant for flagging one of his Lincoln players offside, only for him to say back: “Maybe I’m a s*** linesman but I’m not as s*** as your team.”
Penny Watson - wife of Sunderland great Dave, who is struggling with dementia - just sent me these pictures. Letters they received today from supporters, some from as far as Argentina, USA, Canada, Iceland, Italy. Penny’s overwhelmed with your support
Rapid Vienna v West Ham next week to be played behind closed doors. Good news is the ban on away supporters won't be transferred to the knockout stages. This game will still count as West Ham serving their suspension
@MailSport
Exclusive interview with Theo Walcott. Twenty years after he was a Chelsea ballboy asking Jamie Redknapp for a picture, England’s youngest-ever player talks that World Cup call-up, Arsenal, Everton, being back at Southampton and why he celebrated
Revealed: FIFA knew about football’s brain damage link in 1984 when their own magazine highlighted the dangers of heading the ball and cited CTE concerns.
@chris_sutton73
now asks: “Yet what was done to protect players like me?”
An interview with Mamadou Sakho, on his youth spent sleeping rough and asking strangers for spare charge on the streets of Paris. Also on
#CPFC
, his future with the French national team and where he watched them win the 2018 World Cup
My book, The Beautiful Game and The Ugly Truth, is officially out today! Surreal seeing two years of work condensed into these pages. I lost my grandad (my hero) to dementia and will be eternally grateful to everyone who helped with this project. Thank you
Exclusive interview with Jurgen Klopp in tomorrow’s newspaper and on
@MailSport
tonight. He has a few things to get off his chest, from the stupid schedule to brainless broadcasters to five subs and why he doesn’t give a toss about the title race right now
Interview with Todd Cantwell (AKA the Dereham Deco, AKA the Justin Bieber of Norwich) with
@chris_sutton73
. Well spoken, driven and don't call him arrogant
A touching, personal column from Chris Sutton (
@chris_sutton73
) on football, dementia and the scandalous lack of action in light of Sir Bobby Charlton’s diagnosis
Lucas Paqueta's contract contains an £85m buyout clause for next summer, I'm told. West Ham insist he is not for sale in this window despite Manchester City's interest. Story on
@MailSport
Exclusive interview with Andriy Shevchenko. Talks about his love for Ukraine. About his mother, Lyubov, who refuses to leave her country. About Chelsea. About his Russian friends. About what he’s doing to help. About playing your part.
Proposal to increase half times from 15 minutes to 25 was discussed by football's lawmakers at a meeting this morning... and they've thrown it out. More
@MailSport
This row still rumbling it seems. PFA furious with FA, who are refusing to contribute to a dementia care fund.
@chris_sutton73
labelled it a ‘disgrace’ in December
An interview with Burnley great Jimmy Robson, who has dementia. “The ball would disappear up in the sky and when it came down I’d head it. There’s more than me that’s got this problem, you know?” A wonderful man. With great thanks to
@DanyRobson1
Frank Lampard in conversation with Jamie Redknapp for
@MailSport
– on being sacked, respecting Roman Abramovich, texting Thomas Tuchel, messages received from Chelsea players and his next job
Bournemouth one of the Premier League’s most thoughtful clubs. Tom Lockyer on the front of their match-day programme, supporters raised £2k+ to pay for coaches to get Luton fans to this rearranged fixture, and he was introduced to crowd alongside the medics who saved his life
Spoke to Hussein when he was doing free daily virtual sessions for kids during lockdown. Nice guy. Said: “It’s about ball mastery and how to develop your in-game efficiency. I steer away from using cones, equipment. I’m efficient in the way I coach, but technical in my detail.”
🚨 EXCL: Arsenal appoint Hussein Isa as attacking phase coach. 34yo joins
#AFC
in summer to help 1st team + top academy talent on technical work. Also known as ‘Tekkers Guru’, former non-league player has stood in for Messi on commercial ads
@TheAthleticFC
Can spy some Chelsea fans with inflatable Champions League trophies – and a “we love Tuchel” banner – in the Emirates Stadium away end. Poking fun at Arsenal’s exit to Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern Munich 🏆
West Ham have learned Conor Gallagher wants to stay at Chelsea and fight for his place under Mauricio Pochettino following their initial £40m offer. Yet more obstacles for Hammers in their search for Declan Rice's replacements
Summary of West Ham’s morning:
£30m fee agreed with Man Utd for Harry Maguire
£30m fee agreed with Southampton for James Ward-Prowse
Lucas Paqueta not for sale in this window, but he does have £85m release clause next summer
🚨 Warning for any West Ham fans arranging travel for Olympiacos away on Thursday October 26:
Panathinaikos are also due to play at home in the Europa League that same evening, and UEFA are considering moving one of the two fixtures to avoid the potential for aggro in Athens.
Confirmed: Tim Steidten has signed as West Ham’s technical director. Previously linked with Chelsea and Tottenham. First task: make sure the Declan Rice money isn’t wasted
On November 30, 1872, football's first-ever international took place between England and Scotland on a cricket pitch in Partick. Ahead of England's 1,000th game,
@chris_sutton73
and
@petercrouch
went for a kickabout where it all began
England's players emerging for the second half vs Switzerland with no names on the back of their shirts – to symbolise how people with dementia lose precious memories and can even forget their own name. Good gesture
At Stamford Bridge and every West Ham player just ran towards David Martin after the full-time whistle. Clean sheet on his Premier League debut at the age of 33. Superb performance from the son of Alvin.
Exclusive interview with Craig Dawson ahead of West Ham’s European final
🥇 No clue if he’ll get a medal
🇨🇿 Wishes he was in Prague
👋🏼 Personal reasons for leaving
Andy Carroll on always being the butt of the joke, the loneliness that comes with injuries and why he wants a new West Ham contract. Honest guy, great character. Exclusive interview
Mauricio Pochettino says he is not the only one on trial at Chelsea between now and the end of the season. Everyone is, sporting directors included. "I don’t have the key of the club. I don’t take all the decisions here. That is to be made clear."
Interviewed
@alanshearer
this week when I still have this sitting on my shelf from a childhood spent collecting PowerPodz. “Football crazy, chocolate mad...”
Powerful words from
@chris_sutton73
and
@DawnAstle9
to DCMS Committee today. Dawn: “Football doesn’t want to think that football can be a killer. But I know it can be, because it’s on my dad’s death certificate.”
Reminder that Paul McCrory, who once described the NFL/CTE noise as "all the carry on and hoo-ha you get from the United States", was lead author on four of the five CISG Consensus Statements to date. His fingerprints were all over the literature on traumatic brain injuries.
If Harvey Elliott comes off the bench for Fulham today, he'll become the Premier League's youngest-ever player by 59 days... Matthew Briggs currently holds record at 16 years, 68 days. Jesus, what a way to feel old.
Leaked letter from Industrial Injuries Advisory Council discusses how brain damage in football and other sports is years from being recognised as an industrial disease
Exclusive interview with Kieran Tierney. On Arsenal, Arteta, Celtic, Rodgers, injuries, Zinchenko, Jesus, YNWA, easyJet, Tesco's, living with the club's chef, the whole shebang. Thanks to
@chris_sutton73
Declan Rice to Arsenal latest ⚒️
Second bid yet to be submitted. West Ham contact says they are in no rush. Unless Arsenal bid high, they’ll wait to see what other offers come in
Referee David Coote has been appointed the Carabao Cup final between Manchester United and Newcastle. But this picture being shared on social media is a fake, FYI
Declan Rice now eligible for England. FIFA spokesperson: “We can now confirm that the change of association has been approved.” Gareth Southgate names his next squad on March 13.
Exclusive interview -
@chris_sutton73
travels to Sweden to meet Henrik Larsson, his old Celtic partner in crime who is as cool as you’d expect and wants to manage in England