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Wayne Rooney couldn’t resist a playful jab at Jack Grealish after the England winger chose Everton’s famous No.18 shirt, a number steeped in Merseyside football folklore. This summer, the jersey was up for grabs again after veteran Ashley Young’s departure, and Grealish, fresh from sealing a loan switch from Manchester City, wasted no time in claiming it.

Rooney responds to Grealish taking iconic No.18Points out another previous owner of the shirt at EvertonEx-Man City star eyes Leeds debut on MondayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Grealish, who has previously been synonymous with the No.10 at both City and Aston Villa, admitted he was swayed by the heritage tied to his new digits. With Iliman Ndiaye currently in possession of the Toffees’ No.10, Grealish saw No.18 not as a compromise, but as a connection to two icons he grew up admiring. 

He admitted: "There is a reason for [choosing number 18]. There were other numbers but my two favourite English players ever are Wayne Rooney and Paul Gascoigne and I know they both wore number 18 here. So, as soon as I knew this deal was close, I had a look and number 18 was free, so that was perfect for me and it was the only number I was going to take from that point."

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Rooney himself donned it when, as a fearless 16-year-old, he thundered in that unforgettable match-winner against Arsenal, announcing his arrival to the football world. Before him, Paul Gascoigne carried the number during his colourful two-season stint at the club. And, as Rooney was happy to point out, a certain Phil Neville has also enjoyed time in the 18 on Merseyside.

WHAT ROONEY SAID

The banter unfolded live on BBC’s Match of the Day when the host told Rooney about Grealish’s decision, adding that the winger claimed the two had discussed it “over a roast dinner.” Rooney, grinning, brushed it off in good humour.

"Yeah, it was… No, listen, Jack's a fantastic player and, yeah, and we did speak about it in tongue-in-cheek, really, in terms of the number 18 shirt," he admitted. "Unfortunately Phil Neville wore it as well!

"For Jack, I think it's a great opportunity. Obviously, it's a massive football club and a great fan base, and I think for Jack to go in there and go and be one of the main players, it's an opportunity for him to go and shine, get Everton back up the table where they need to be and, obviously, try and put himself in Thomas Tuchel's plans again."

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The move is believed to involve a significant pay cut for Grealish, underscoring his desire to revive his career with regular football. The deal also includes a purchase clause reported to be in the region of £50 million, giving Everton a potential long-term coup if Grealish thrives.

Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott has surprisingly urged Eberechi Eze to snub a move to the Gunners this summer and stay at Crystal Palace.

Eze linked with Arsenal and TottenhamHas played starring role for Crystal PalaceWalcott thinks he should stay at Selhurst ParkFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Eze's future at Crystal Palace seems uncertain at present amid reported interest from Arsenal and Tottenham. Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has also seemingly refused to rule a summer exit for Eze or Marc Guehi, admitting that "players come and go" after seeing the Eagles beat Liverpool in the Community Shield.

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Arsenal have already invested heavily this summer by bringing in players like Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke and Christian Norgaard, and Walcott has revealed why he thinks England international Eze may be better off staying at Selhurst Park.

WHAT WALCOTT SAID

He told : "If he has a good season at Palace, he will go to the World Cup, I’m pretty sure of that… then what other teams will have a look at him after that? If I was Eze, I would probably stay put just because it’s World Cup year. If it wasn’t World Cup year then I would probably move on. These opportunities might not come again, though, so that’s the risk these players have got to take. But for me, World Cup year is a big year and I just feel that the grass isn’t always greener. I love the way Eze plays at Palace at this moment in time and it would look very different at Arsenal. He would improve Arsenal, 100 per cent, but I just feel that World Cup year is a big factor for a lot of players this year."

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Crystal Palace fans will certainly be hoping that Eze does stay at the club after helping deliver the FA Cup last season. The Eagles start their Premier League season on Sunday against Chelsea, while Arsenal head to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United.

Ex-England boss Sir Gareth Southgate has addressed the "strange" rumours linking him with the Poland national team job.

Southgate not managed since leaving EnglandLinked with Poland national team jobResponds to "strange" rumoursFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The former England manager was linked with the Poland job after Michal Probierz resigned following a bitter feud with captain Robert Lewandowski. Reports suggested the Polish Football Association eventually snubbed the ex-Middlesbrough player but now he has dismissed that speculation.

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He told the PA News Agency: "I am kind of used to it [rumours]. I mean, I was linked with the Poland job, which I knew nothing about, so that was a strange one. Something gets written and then it's reported everywhere, but yeah, there's probably a lot of others, but I kind of accept it now for what it is."

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Southgate, who this week was honoured at the PFA awards for his outstanding contribution to football, has been out of work since resigning from the England post last year. He brought the Three Lions within touching distance of a major international trophy and now many are wondering if he will go back into management again.

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Southgate may continue to be linked with managerial jobs but for the time being, he is enjoying his time away from the dugout.

He added: "You can't say never to anything because 15 years ago I left Middlesbrough and I wasn't certain I would manage then. Then I ended up on a strange path into managing the national team. But it's not something I'm actively looking at at the moment."

Randal Kolo Muani closed in on a Juventus return as Paris Saint-Germain and the Italian giants edged towards sealing a €60 million transfer agreement.

PSG and Juve finalising €60m dealStriker set for long-awaited Serie A returnMove marks Juventus’ major attacking boostFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Juve are edging closer to sealing Kolo Muani’s long-term return from PSG in a deal worth around €60 million (£51m/$65m). After months of negotiations, the two clubs appear to have reached common ground on a deal that will see the French striker initially return on loan with an obligation to buy. Kolo Muani, who scored 10 goals and provided three assists in 22 games during his short loan spell in Turin last season, has already expressed his desire to continue with the Bianconeri. PSG, meanwhile, are keen to cash in on a player who never truly settled in Paris under Luis Enrique.

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This deal would represent one of Juventus’s key transfer outlays in recent years, underlining their intent to rebuild a sharper, more mobile attack. The club have long sought a striker who can stretch defences and bring versatility up front, qualities that Kolo Muani demonstrated during his first stint in Serie A.

For PSG, this is another clear step in their summer strategy by offloading high-wage players who don’t fit Luis Enrique’s system, while balancing the books after years of heavy spending. The move also reaffirms how Serie A’s elite are willing to invest heavily again, despite broader financial caution across Italian football.

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The structure of the deal has been a sticking point for weeks, where PSG initially raised their asking price to €70 million (£59m/$76m), which Juventus were unwilling to pay outright. The compromise now looks set at a €5m paid loan followed by a €55m (£46m/$59m) mandatory purchase clause, spreading the cost across seasons. For Juventus, this comes with financial strain as Kolo Muani is expected to earn around €8m net per year.

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If the deal is finalised, Juve will not only secure a striker tailor-made for their new project but also set off a domino effect in the market. For PSG, this agreement could help finance their ongoing squad overhaul and allow Enrique to continue building a younger, more balanced squad. All eyes now turn to whether Juve can wrap up the final details before rivals swoop in or PSG change course. Juve is set to play against Genoa on Saturday.

Harvey Elliott is set to spend the 2025-26 season on loan with Aston Villa, which would become a permanent transfer next summer.

Elliott joining Aston VillaLiverpool midfielder to undergo medicalDeal is a loan with obligation to buyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Elliott is in the final stages of completing what will eventually mark the end of his career at Liverpool. writes that the 22-year-old has been given permission to undergo a medical with Aston Villa and has travelled to Birmingham. It will start as a loan for the duration of this season but is expected to become permanent next summer because of an obligation to buy valued at £35 million ($47m).

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Having played over 50 games in Jurgen Klopp's final season, Elliott found himself struggling for opportunities under successor Arne Slot. With Florian Wirtz adding to the competition for attacking midfield and wide places, that was only going to get worse unless the youngster moved on. But joining Aston Villa will keep him closer to home than a potential switch to RB Leipzig would have.

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Liverpool stand to make a huge profit on Elliott, despite the £35m fee falling short of their original asking price, ranging from £40-50m ($54-68m). The Reds paid a maximum of £4.3m ($5.8m) in compensation when signing a 16-year-old Elliott from Fulham.

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If all goes as expected, Aston Villa will finish transfer deadline day with Elliott and Jadon Sancho through the door, while Liverpool are racing the clock to complete anticipated deals for Alexander Isak and Marc Guehi. One player not expected to be on the move is goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who was ultimately overlooked by Manchester United in favour of emerging Belgian talent Senne Lammens.

Dele Alli to Swansea “becomes a thing”, with it being suggested that Luka Modric could hold transfer talks with his fellow former Tottenham star.

Ex-England international is a free agent againBallon d'Or winner parts of Swans' ownership teamTalks mooted regarding surprising switch to WalesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Ex-England international Dele, who has struggled since bidding farewell to north London in 2022, finds himself in the free agent pool once again. He first hit that market after seeing his deal at Everton run down.

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A fresh start was sought when heading to Italy, with Cesc Fabregas inviting the 29-year-old midfielder to join the ranks at Como. Another disastrous spell was endured there, which delivered just one substitute appearance – with that outing lasting less than 10 minutes after a red card was picked up against AC Milan.

Said appearance is the only one that Dele has made since February 2023. He is, however, seeing a return to British football mooted – potentially in the Championship, with Birmingham ruling themselves out of the running there.

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Real Madrid legend Modric, who is now at AC Milan, could aid efforts to get a deal done as the Ballon d’Or winner is part of the ownership group at Swansea. He has vowed to use his experience to help “build an exciting future”.

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Discussing Dele on , Ben Jacobs said: “I think Swansea City is going to be really interesting because Luka Modric is now part of that ownership group and from what I’m told he is having conversations with slightly older players and free agents to try and lure them over there.

“It wouldn’t at all surprise me from what I hear if Swansea City and Dele Alli becomes a thing over the next few weeks. Dele Alli won’t get an opportunity in my opinion in a big-five league after it didn’t work out at Como but maybe a Championship club on a short-term deal.”

Joshua Kimmich hit out at the transfer market spiral, insisting that the players can’t be blamed as he pointed to the Premier League’s vast resources.

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Bayern hero Kimmich has voiced his concerns about the ever-growing transfer fees in football, admitting that neither players nor fans can truly make sense of the astronomical sums being paid in today’s market. The German star spoke ahead of the national team’s World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia, making it clear that players cannot influence the spiraling prices. His comments come in the wake of strong criticism from Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeness, who recently slammed the transfer market’s direction.

Clubs in the Premier League were highlighted as the clearest examples of the financial gap. With Liverpool signing Florian Wirtz for £116 million ($156m) and Alexander Isak for £125m ($169m). as well as Newcastle’s extraordinary £69m ($93m) move for Nick Woltemade, where they beat Bayern to his signature, underline the widening imbalance between Germany and England.

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Kimmich admitted that even players struggle to understand the sums being thrown around and insisted that they can’t be blamed for the explosion in fees.

"It's hard to grasp, both for us players and for the average fan, how much money is paid for a player," he said. "We can't control the sums either, and to be honest, we can't really influence them either. Especially when such transfer sums are being paid, at the end of the day, you have to say that, of course, it's the market that determines these sums."

Pointing to the Premier League as the driving force behind inflated prices, Kimmich highlighted the structural advantage of English clubs: "If you look at the Premier League, there are obviously financial resources available, both through ownership and TV money, so they can apparently easily pull these sums out of their sleeves."

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Kimmich’s frustration reflects a broader issue here with the Premier League’s financial dominance has pushed transfer spending to historic highs. According to a recent transfer report by FIFA, men’s football clubs invested a record $9.76 billion in international transfers, a staggering new benchmark. For Bundesliga sides like Bayern, once seen as among the biggest spenders in Europe, competing with English clubs is becoming increasingly unrealistic.

The Bundesliga champions missed out on major targets this summer, including Wirtz, whose price was simply unattainable. For German football, this raises questions not just about competitiveness but about the long-term sustainability of clubs that can’t match the Premier League’s resources.

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Domestically, Bayern will look to refocus on the pitch, with their Bundesliga campaign continuing against Hamburger SV on September 13 at the Allianz Arena. They currently sit top of the league, but Kimmich’s candid reflections show that transfer frustrations linger in the background at Bavaria.

He went past Sunil Gavaskar and MS Dhoni to take the record

Shiva Jayaraman26-Jan-2018Kohli scores tough runs
On a pitch that was extremely difficult to bat on for most of the day – and misbehaved enough to trigger an official discussion on whether it was safe enough to continue playing on – Virat Kohli made 41 runs from 79 deliveries to help India along to a total that gave them the chance to score an elusive away win and only their third Test win in South Africa. During the course of the innings he went past MS Dhoni and Sunil Gavaskar to become India’s highest scoring Test captain. He has made 3456 runs at 65.20 in Tests while leading India.Early in his innings, Kohli was hit on the thumb while playing forward to a ball that climbed off a length from Kagiso Rabada. However, that didn’t stop the India captain from getting on to the front during the course of the rest of his stay at the crease: off the rest of the 40 balls that were bowled at him on full or good lengths, Kohli played forward to at least 17 balls. Kohli made 27 runs off 47 balls off those lengths at a strike rate of 57.44. On a pitch that troubled the batsmen with unpredictable bounce off full and good lengths, Kohli batted well to return a control percentage of 72.34% off those lengths.Kohli’s tally of 95 runs in this Test took his aggregate for the series to 286 runs – the second-most scored by an India batsman in a series in South Africa. No India captain has made as many runs as Kohli has in this series. Before Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar’s 241 runs in three matches in 1996-97 were the highest by an India captain in a series in South Africa. Rahane makes it look easy
Sat out of the first two Tests of the series, Rahane came in to bat with India 93 runs ahead. He looked the most comfortable batsman on the third day, scoring rapidly off lengths that were troubling batsmen at the other end. Rahane faced 33 deliveries pitched on full and good lengths, and was in control of his shots a whopping 90.00% of the time – easily the best control shown by any of the India batsmen.

India batsmen off full and good lengths

Batsman BF Runs Boundaries Control % SRAjinkya Rahane 40 31 5 90.00 77.50Lokesh Rahul 33 16 2 81.81 48.48Hardik Pandya 5 2 0 80.00 40.00Murali Vijay 93 13 0 79.56 13.97Bhuvneshwar Kumar 29 20 2 75.86 68.96Virat Kohli 47 27 4 74.46 57.44Cheteshwar Pujara 7 1 0 71.42 14.28Parthiv Patel 12 12 2 58.33 100.00The ball perhaps jagged around a little less as the overs progressed, but even while Kohli was fighting hard at the other end, Rahane looked in control playing off balls that were pitch on full and good lengths.

Kohli and Rahane off good and full lengths, 5th wicket stand

Batsman BF Runs Boundaries Control % SRAjinkya Rahane 13 12 2 92.30 92.30Virat Kohli 21 6 1 66.66 28.57Bhuvneshwar contributes with the bat again
Bhuvneshwar Kumar added 33 runs to his crucial contribution of 30 runs in the first innings making him only the second India batsman in this match to get 30 or more runs in both innings. In a series in which batsmen have struggled to put together meaningful partnerships, his 55-run stand with Rahane in India’s second innings was the second time he added 50 or more runs with a partner in these Tests. Out of the six fifty-plus stands India have had in the series, only Kohli has been involved in more such stands. In fact, Bhuvneshwar has faced more balls per dismissal in this series than any other India batsman. In four innings that he has batted, Bhuvneshwar has faced 252 balls, getting dismissed three times.

Average balls per dismissal, India batsmen in the series

Batsman Inns Runs Ave Balls per disBhuvneshwar Kumar 4 101 33.65 84.0Virat Kohli 6 286 47.66 79.2M Vijay 6 102 17.00 59.8Cheteshwar Pujara 6 100 16.66 57.0Ajinkya Rahane 2 57 28.50 47.5Rohit Sharma 4 78 19.50 47.5R Ashwin 4 90 22.50 36.0Parthiv Patel 4 56 14.00 29.5Hardik Pandya 6 119 19.82 28.8KL Rahul 4 30 7.50 25.3Shikhar Dhawan 2 32 16.00 16.5

Warner will fly home to recover but is expected to return to India for the ODI series that follows the fourth Test

Alex Malcolm21-Feb-2023David Warner has been ruled out of the final two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to his elbow fracture. He will head home to Sydney to recover but he is expected to return to India for the three-match ODI series at the end of March.Warner suffered a hairline fracture in his left elbow after copping a blow from Mohammed Siraj during the first innings of the second Test in Delhi. Two overs later he was hit on the helmet and later suffered delayed concussion symptoms and was subbed out of the Test match.While his concussion symptoms have subsided, his elbow remains an issue. It was initially thought that the hairline fracture was so minor that could play in Indore.Related

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'I've got the next 12 months' – Warner defiant over Test future

Maxwell, Marsh and Richardson return for India ODIs

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As of Monday night Warner was intending to stay in India to try and play the third Test. But after further testing on his pain and his range of motion, he was officially ruled out and will return home with his family.Australia are unlikely to call up any batters as cover. Travis Head is set to open the batting in Indore after filling in for Warner in the second innings in Delhi. Head made an enterprising 43 at the top and looked in excellent touch having only previously opened twice in first-class cricket in a County Championship match for Worcestershire in 2018. Australia coach Andrew McDonald stressed on Monday that Head opening was not a long-term solution in all conditions but that he was well-suited to open in the subcontinent.Cameron Green will be fit to play in Indore. He faced fast bowling in the nets for the first time during the second Test in a net session against Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc after he was very close to being selected in the second Test. Green is training on Tuesday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on his own to keep his bowling loads up while the rest of the squad relaxes for a couple of days following the stunning collapse on Sunday.Australia have already lost Josh Hazlewood from the tour due to his nagging Achilles. Mitchell Starc is set to be fit to play in Indore. Mitchell Swepson is also set to return to the squad having flown home for the birth of his first child.Captain Pat Cummins flew home immediately after the Delhi Test for family reasons but it currently due to return later in the week and is expected to play in Indore, however his situation remains fluid.Australia may release some squad members to return home to play some domestic cricket with any changes to be finalised on Wednesday.

Crystal Palace's Daniel Munoz has revealed the reason for Erling Haaland handing an FA Cup final penalty to Manchester City colleague Omar Marmoush.

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Why Haaland handed over penalty to Marmoush revealedMarmoush missed the spot-kickPalace defender had warned HaalandFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

City had the opportunity to restore parity in the FA Cup final after Eberechi Eze broke the deadlock in the 16th minute from Munoz's assist. Just past the half-hour mark, Tyrick Mitchell brought down Bernardo Silva inside the area and a penalty was awarded to the Cityzens. Haaland, being the club's designated penalty taker, was expected to take the spot-kick, but to everyone's surprise, he handed over the ball to Marmoush.

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It was Marmoush's first penalty kick since signing for City in January, but he squandered the opportunity as his effort was saved by Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson. Before moving to England, Marmoush had converted all of the previous seven penalties he had taken for Eintracht Frankfurt. Haaland, meanwhile, has scored four penalties out of seven attempts for City across all competitions this season.

WHAT DANIEL MUNOZ SAID

Now Palace full-back Munoz has revealed why the Norwegian handed over the penalty kick to Marmoush. Speaking to , the 28-year-old said: "I asked him why he didn’t take the penalty, since he was the team’s top scorer. And he told me that his team-mate was also a good kicker. So, I told him, 'If you don’t take the penalty, he’ll miss.' And he missed."

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Pep Guardiola's side will now aim to win their remaining Premier League matches against Bournemouth and Fulham on May 20 and 25, respectively, to secure a top five finish and qualify for the Champions League next season.