Catégorie : Sport News

Transfer windows are an opportunity for Premier League managers and sporting directors to bolster their playing staff to help teams over the line in their various aims for the season.

Everton and Nottingham Forest know that the spending power of clubs is limited no matter how wealthy their owners might be.

The Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) have a huge impact on how much clubs can invest in the transfer market, how they can free up funds by selling players, and when they need to make their signings in order to stay compliant.

How much money can Premier League clubs lose under PSR?

The subsequent accounting might be complicated but the main Profit and Sustainability Rules themselves are quite simple. In every three-season period, Premier League clubs can sustain £15m of losses before tax (£5m per season on average) before they’re in breach of PSR.

Wealthy owners can swallow some losses beyond £15m of their club’s money. ‘Secure funding’ rules allow owners to guarantee losses of up to £90m over the three seasons (£30m per season on average) by buying up shares. In total, a maximum £105m in losses over three years can be compliant. They just need to be the right kind of losses.

How can Premier League clubs spend so much on players?

The outgoings covered by PSR include transfer fees, player wages, and paying up the contracts of managers, staff and players whose deals have been terminated. They’re offset by the revenue gained from match tickets, TV rights deals and, crucially, selling players.

Transfers in and out are the most significant figures in the profit and sustainability balance sheet and where we find the accounting method that enables massive transfer fees in a framework that limits losses to £35m per year.

Chelsea’s post-takeover spending spree made amortisation famous but it’s a very common way to spread the total cost of an asset across the accounting years of its lifetime.

Players are assets in this context and the transfer fee – even if it’s paid up front – can be amortised over the length of a player’s contract.

At the most extreme end of Premier League spending, if a club signs a player for £100m on a five-year contract, the player is deemed to have an asset value of £100m at the start of the contract and zero when it expires.

For PSR purposes, the player’s transfer fee will be represented as a loss of £20m in each of the five years – the loss is spread over time.

An enhanced incentive to sell

PSR also means clubs need to sell to balance the books, not least when they want to buy again. With transfer revenue counting against a club’s losses, finding a willing buyer for a valuable player is a great way to make sure they’re complying with the regulations.

Amortisation is key here, too. An increasing number of clubs have been reported to have sold players reluctantly or by necessity in the PSR environment before replacing them at sizeable expense. Amortisation explains why.

While a Premier League club can amortise the value of a new signing over the length of his contract and therefore limit the short-term loss associated with the inward transfer, the revenue from a sale is accounted for immediately in the books.

Homegrown players have become especially valuable because of PSR. They’ve always represented profit in terms of transfer fees because they’re bought for nothing and can be sold for a fortune.

Under the auspices of PSR, that profit is gold-dust. Clubs can be tempted to sell against their will – and against their better judgement, sometimes – to get a little of that to sprinkle over their accounts and knock down their three-year losses.

This is one of the aspects of PSR that clubs and supporters find problematic in logical terms but it is, essentially, standard accounting.

Forgotten within the mix of the NBA’s greatest big men of all time, is Knicks legend, Patrick Ewing. His contemporaries such as Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, and David Robinson typically rank higher than Ewing due to their championship wins. In most cases, it diminishes the true skill Ewing possessed. Hall-of-Fame forward Charles Barkley declares that the former Knicks big man deserves more respect.

On a guest appearance on The Mark Jackson Show, Jackson and Barkley began reminiscing about their glory days in the NBA, when they gave flowers to those who were great during their era. A player Barkley went head-to-head on many occasions was none other than Patrick Ewing. The Inside The NBA star felt the urge to give Ewing the praise he deserved. He said,

“Easy first-ballot Hall-of-Famers. I tell people, man, you guys sleep on Patrick. None of us could get past Michael, but that man was great… Man you talk about one of the great people I’ve ever been around, Patrick Ewing”

There are only a few players in the history of the NBA who are no doubt first-ballot Hall-of-Famers, and Barkley claims Ewing is one of them. This isn’t an opinion but more so a fact. Ewing is one out of the 54 players who were selected as first-ballot Hall-of-Famers.

The 7-foot big man dominated in his collegiate career at Georgetown and carried that to his professional career. He earned 11 All-Star team selections along with seven All-NBA team honors. Ewing’s excellence led the Knicks to become a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference throughout the 1990s.

Unfortunately, Ewing could never get past Michael Jordan and his Bulls. As a result, fans began to undermine the capabilities of the dominant big man. However, team success isn’t the only measure of what makes a great player.

Charles Barkley believes Patrick Ewing is one of the most underrated players ever

It’s hard to become an NBA player. It’s even harder to be an elite NBA player. Ewing did both and cemented himself as one of the greatest ever. However, he is still undermined by fans of the sport. Barkley’s been around for most of the peaks of the best players in the league. Yet, he considers Ewing as one of the most underrated centers ever.

“First of all, I think Patrick Ewing is probably the most underrated of all the great centers because he did not win the championship,” Barkley said in an episode of NBA TV’s Open Court.“I will say this about him, he’s a man,”

Ewing finished in the top five in MVP voting six times in his career. At the time, people understood the value he brought to his team. Barkley is at the forefront of those leading the charge to give Ewing the rightful praise he deserves.

Andre Agassi’s admiration for Carlos Alcaraz is widely known. The mutual respect can be clearly seen during tournaments like the Australian Open and the Netflix Slam. At a recent business event, Agassi joined the bandwagon of comparing Alcaraz with the ‘Big 3’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Reflecting on his personal experiences, Agassi stated that three key factors will determine whether Alcaraz will surpass the trio of players who have each won 20 Grand Slams or more. Those are decision-making, injuries and luck.

Alcaraz is a great decision-maker, as seen by his shot selection and sense of anticipation on the court, sizing up his opponents well. However, the second factor, i.e. injuries, is something the reigning Wimbledon champion needs to work on.

Agassi’s words hold weight, as Alcaraz himself revealed his battles with fitness in the 2024 season, despite winning two Grand Slams. While Alcaraz can draw inspiration from Nadal when it comes to having a strong body and will to fight pain from time to time, the journey won’t be easy for the young Spaniard.

The third factor is luck, which does play a big role in any sport since Alcaraz requires other things to go his way to succeed.

Agassi, during the TIE Global event, acknowledged that Alcaraz has the power and spin of Nadal, the defensive skills of Djokovic, and the effortless style of Federer. However, the American claimed that Alcaraz’s versatility alone may not be enough for him to surpass them.

Andre Agassi says Carlos Alcaraz has the power of Nadal, the defense of Djokovic, & the finesse of Federer, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be able to accomplish what they accomplished:

It will be interesting to see whether Alcaraz reacts to these words. But there is no doubt that the young Spaniard respects legacy beyond Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, as shown by his epic tribute to Agassi at the US Open 2024.

Alcaraz asked Nike to recreate Agassi’s 1990 AirTech Challenger 2 Hot Lava Shoes

During his first-round match against Li Tu at the US Open, Alcaraz’s choice of shoes went viral quickly. Agassi himself responded to it on social media by sharing a picture of Alcaraz on his Instagram stories and adding an emoji of eyes near the shoes.

Alcaraz reposted the story on his profile and added eyes, a shoe, a handshake, and hearted eye emojis. This time, Agassi shared a close-up image on his story, in which the shoes can be clearly seen. He added the text ‘Vamos’ to it, giving his best wishes to the Spaniard for the last Slam of the year. Alcaraz again reshared the story on his own profile.

Another reason Alcaraz wore those shoes was to create buzz for the impending release of an ‘aged Hot Lava’ colored version of the shoe. The brand launched the latest edition of the shoes on August 30, making the Agassi and Alcaraz collaboration logical.

Nikola Jokic’s rise from a second-round pick to one of the greatest centers in NBA history is nothing short of a fairytale. The Serbian, who was infamously announced as the 41st pick in the 2014 NBA draft during a Taco Bell commercial, has redefined the center position. Unlike his predecessors and his peers, he’s the primary ball-handler and runs his team’s offense. It’s hard to fathom a Serbian center with little interest in living in the paint dominating in the NBA. However, rapper Fat Joe believes deviating from the norm is what makes him unstoppable.

On Carmelo Anthony’s 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, the rapper claimed that not growing up in America or spending time in the AAU and NCAA systems allowed Jokic to be the unicorn he is today. He argued that the Nuggets superstar wasn’t bogged down by formulaic coaching that American players are subjected to. He explained,

“[Carmelo Anthony], [Rudy Gay], KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns), all of [the American players], all learned from the same school… So [the coaches] told them, ‘This is the dos, these are the don’ts in America.’ The thing that makes Joker special is he does everything your coach told you not to do… He’s doing everything we have been taught not to do. So you can’t react to that.”

Fat Joe added that it’s impossible to predict Jokic’s next move because he wasn’t trained to play conventional basketball like players in America. The rapper’s take is spot on as the Serbian is the most uniquely used center in NBA history.

What makes Nikola Jokic special?

Centers in the past were expected to live in the paint on both ends of the floor. They were asked to protect the rim on defense and attack on offense. The game evolved and they are now expected to be good jump shooters.

They are required to be threatening enough from beyond the arc to force teams to keep a defender close and create open lanes. However, no center was ever asked to be their team’s primary ball-handler. Then Jokic came along.

A 6-foot-11 player dribbling the ball up the court was a rare sight. But the Serbian has been doing it for years and has almost normalized it. His being the Nuggets’ de-facto point creates issues for defenses.

Do you leave a smaller defender on him at the top of the key and risk him shooting above them? Can’t do that because he’s a capable shooter. Do you double him with a guard and a forward? That’d leave one of his teammates open and rest assured, he’ll use his 7-foot-3 wingspan and incredible court vision to find that player. Do you ask your center to chase him around the court? That’d leave space in the paint for his teammates to exploit and Jokic is crafty enough to find them every time.

The Serbian passes like an elite point guard shoots like a wing, and is the size of a center. It’s impossible to stop him. Most teams are glad they can contain him.

And contained in this context is being used pretty loosely. He’s averaging 32.3 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 10.2 assists this season and will likely win the MVP for the fourth time in his career. Nikola Jokic is an unstoppable force and arguably the most unique player in NBA history. He is primed to dominate for years to come and leave an indubitable legacy.

Just days after concluding the historic Eras Tour in Vancouver, Taylor Swift was back in action in Kansas City, visiting and spreading joy at the Children’s Mercy Hospital. Her sweet gesture won over many hearts, including that of Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who described her presence as a “positive impact on the community”.

As soon as news portals brought out the news Taylor’s special visit to the hospital, Mayor Quinton took to X to admire Taylor for using her free time to make the day special for the kids.

“There are a lot of things Ms. Swift could do with her day and she chose to spend it making the day unforgettable for kids in Kansas City deserving of our love and support. Ms. Swift is a remarkably positive impact on our community. Delighted to have her here whenever she comes,” said the Mayor.

As per a report, Swift spent the entire day at the hospital, sharing fun moments with the young ones. Based on the number of photographs circulating on the internet, it is evident that the star had generously posed for pictures with the patients and their families.

The pop sensation also gifted the kids in the hospital a signed edition of her latest Eras Tour book with personalised messages. The highlight, however, were the video chats.

Not only did Taylor oblige to FaceTime the family members of the patients but she was also seen making the day of a young patient on the last day of chemo. In the video that has now gone viral, Taylor is seen sitting next to the kid fighting cancer, while conveying regards to all his friends.

The video ends with Taylor giving the young patient a high-five and celebrating the kids’ last day of chemo with a round of applause.

It was heartening to see Taylor use her time in such an inspiring manner. Most artists would have preferred a relaxing vacation after completing a two-year gruelling world tour. Taylor chose this beautiful gesture, which portrays her kind-heartedness. It also shows how connected she is with the city of Kansas.

Travis Hunter’s relationship with his fiancée Leanna Lenee has been making headlines for quite some time now. Although they share a great bond, fans have been skeptical about Lenee. They have, on many occasions, expressed doubt whether she is in it just for the two-way star’s popularity and his potential to bag a big NFL contract.

Lenee, on her part, has given them more reasons to distrust. Recently, a picture of them went viral on social media where Leanna’s ring finger was circled out. The caption read, “She got a money tattoo on her ring finger”.

The dollar sign seen on her ring finger appalled the fans, who went on to allege Leanna is marrying Hunter for the money.

Hunter, meanwhile, has been constantly defending his relationship with Leanna. And many find that worrisome.

Leanna seems to have an overbearing presence even when Travis is on the playing field. That had irked former NFL athlete and Heisman winner, Cam Newton. “It’s not about you,” Newton had said on his podcast, commenting on a viral video of Travis comforting Lenee on the sidelines midgame.

Reggie Bush, meanwhile, pointed out how Hunter should ensure a prenup before marrying Lenee. “Coach Prime has been through it he needs to keep it real with him,” he had said, suggesting that Deion Sanders, who has experience enduring a bad divorce, should advice his ward.

The internet sleuths also resurfaced a clip of Sanders joking about how he would like to write a prenup for Travis.

“I’m going to do your prenup for you — it’s going to be about this thick,” said Coach Prime, gesturing that it would be as thick as a stack of books.

Meanwhile, Hunter’s stocks as a player are soaring at the moment. The football prodigy has just come off of an immensely successful season for which he has already received seven awards. He is also the frontrunner in the Heisman race.

Furthermore, he is projected as a top-3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which only means more money would be coming his way. Hunter and Lenee are set to get married on May 24, 2025, just a few weeks after the Draft.

Chelsea are currently on track for an invincible season in the Women’s Super League as they have won all nine of their games in the 2024/25 season so far.

When Emma Hayes left at the end of the last campaign, many were apprehensive about what impact that would have on the Blues. However, Sonia Bompastor has come in and taken the club to another level.

They have also won all of their Women’s Champions League games this season meaning they have not lost or drawn any fixture. But if they do have a perfect season, will they be the first WSL club to have an invincible campaign? Here’s all you need to know.

Invincible season: Which English women’s clubs have achieved the feat?

In the WSL era, which began in 2011, only one team have had an invincible season – Chelsea. In the 2017/18 season, they recorded 13 wins and five draws in the English top-flight.

Chelsea were also on track to have an unbeaten season in the 2019/20 season but that campaign was curtailed because of the pandemic. However, multiple teams achieved the unbelievable feat of an unbeaten season before the WSL era.

Women’s football was banned in England for 50 years until 1971 and so FourFourTwo will focus on the records from that year onwards.

Arsenal were the first English women’s club to secure an invincible season in the 1994/95 campaign. The Gunners have also secured the feat on five other occasions. They recorded an invincible campaign in the 2000/01, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08 seasons.

Their unbelievable form in the mid 2000s saw the club go 108 matches unbeaten in the English top-flight between 2003 and 2009.

Arsenal’s form peaked in the 2006/07 season when they won the quadruple, they are still the only English club ever to achieve the feat. In FourFourTwo’s view, this team was the greatest ever in English football.

On top of winning absolutely everything they could, they also had a perfect league season as they won all 22 games they played.

Arsenal is not the only other English women’s club to have an invincible season though.

Croydon, which is now known as Charlton Athletic, also had unbeaten seasons in the 1995/96 and 1998/99 seasons. The club currently play in the Championship.

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has become the first manager to win her first seven WSL games in charge and has only added to her perfect start.

When asked about her flawless start, Bompastor said in November: « We want to show that we can beat every team, because that’s the mentality you need to have when you want to win everything. »

Manchester United are well positioned to sign a former player – who they only sold over the summer.

The Red Devils had a huge rebuild during the last transfer window in which considerable investment was made into the playing squad. Matthijs De Ligt, Leny Yoro and Noussair Mazraoui were added to the defence, with midfielder Manuel Ugarte and attacker Joshua Zirkzee signed further ahead.

These signings were made with former manager Erik ten Hag in mind, however. With Ruben Amorim now installed as boss, Manchester United could well be set for more big changes.

Manchester United have the upper hand over Barcelona for ex-star

There’s some uncertainty over who will making the decisions at Old Trafford going forward, following the shock departure of Dan Ashworth.

Ashworth is believed to have led the recruitment over the summer, with an effort towards signing younger players, as the club lower their average age. Arsenal wonderkid Chido Obi-Martin was an example of a huge coup for United over the summer, with the club prepared to pay for outstanding talent.

It was a surprise, therefore, that Alvaro Carreras left the club over the summer when he was such a promising prospect at left-back – a position that United have struggled in.

Friday’s edition of Portuguese paper A Bola via Sport Witness says United are continuing to monitor the 21-year-old with Amorim aware of the player’s talent thanks to his time in the Primeira Liga.

Benfica would like to keep Carreras with them until the end of the season. United have a €20 million buy-back clause, however, with a move back to Old Trafford described as “likelier” than Barcelona, who are also circling, as they eye a backup for Alejandro Balde.

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Carreras is a great prospect who would no doubt be an asset for Amorim at wing-back – but interest in his signing points to a lack of joined-up thinking at the club.

This is probably just a rumour, however, with it not uncommon for clubs to monitor any player with a buy-back option after selling. Re-signing Carreras is still unlikely – whether this window or next – with the Spaniard probably a backup simply because of the clause available to make the deal happen.

Carreras is worth €8m, according to Transfermarkt. United face Manchester City this weekend in the Manchester Derby when Premier League action resumes.

Novak Djokovic leads all active players in on-court achievements, but with Rafael Nadal’s retirement, he will also hold a specific off-court record. The Serbian superstar now has the most followers on X out of all the current players on the tour.

Nadal had the strongest social presence in the tennis community with 15.4 million followers on X. That throne has now gone to Djokovic (9.3 million).

The fact that the Belgrade native has more followers on X than all other active players on the Tour combined makes this achievement even more impressive.

There is a huge gap between Djokovic and the players trailing him on this list – Stan Wawrinka (1.6 million), Kei Nishikori (961k), Carlos Alcaraz (839k), Gael Monfils (776k), and Nick Kyrgios (648k).

Even though this record seems impressive, not everyone on social media is feeling the same way about it.

Social media users react to Djokovic’s latest record

Pavvy G, widely known for being a Novak Djokovic superfan, was the one who posted this stat on X. Unfortunately, fans did not appear to be as excited as he was.

While some users appreciated this stat, a lot of them did not. Many pointed out that Djokovic has the most followers because he has been on tour the longest.

All eight Women’s Champions League quarter-finalists have been confirmed and all three of the English teams involved are through.

Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City were the first to confirm their spots in the knock-out stage of the European competition.

The latest round of group matches confirmed the last spots.

Women’s Champions League quarter-finals: Which teams have qualified?

Bayern Munich, Lyon, Wolfsburg, Real Madrid and holders Barcelona are all through to the last eight.

Three teams have won all of their games in the competition so far. Eight-time winners Lyon, Chelsea and Manchester City have all recorded five wins from five.

Defending champions Barcelona were the final team to qualify for the last eight.

They have continued to be impressive in the competition, having a +20 goal difference. However, an early loss to City meant they had to wait longer to book their place.

The Spanish giants will be the favourites to once again take the crown. If they do so it will be the third consecutive season that they lift the European trophy.

There is still one more round of group matches to be played, on 17/18 December, with group winners still to be decided. The only club who have been confirmed as group winners are Lyon.

When does the Women’s Champions League Draw take place?

The draw for the quarter-finals will take place on 7 February with the semi-final draw also happening on the same day. FourFourTwo believe Chelsea will face Barcelona as, while the draw is random, the two always end up playing one another.

Quarter-finals and semi-finals will be played over two legs. The quarter first leg will be played 18/19 March with the second leg 26/27 March.

While the semi-finals will see the first leg played on 19/20 April and the second leg 26/27 April.

The final will be held in Lisbon at the Estádio José Alvalade on 24 May.