PSJ ciddi itkilərlə üzləşib.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, Paris təmsilçisinin qapıçısı Luka Şevalye və müdafiəçi Əşrəf Hakimi sıradan çıxıb. Bu barədə klubun mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb. Onlar bir neçə həftə yaşıl meydanlardan uzaq qalacaq.

Hakimi və Şevalye PSJ-nin Çempionlar Liqasında “Bavariya”ya qarşı keçirəcəyi cavab oyununu buraxacaq.

Görüş mayın 6-da olacaq. Komandalar arasındakı ilk matçda PSJ qələbə qazanıb – 5:4.

“Mançester Yunayted”in və İngiltərə millisinin sabiq futbolçusu Eşli Yanq karyerasını bitirməyə qərar verib.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə cinah oyunçusu sosial şəbəkə hesabında paylaşım edib. “İpsviç”də çıxış edən 40 yaşlı futbolçu mayın 2-də son matçına çıxacağını bildirib.

Yanq karyerası ərzində “İnter”, “Mançester Yunayted”, “Everton”, “Aston Villa” kimi klublarda forma geyinib.

Bu gün dünyanın yaşıl meydanlarında futbol oyunları keçiriləcək.

Futbolpress.az qarşılaşmaları canlı yayımlayacaq telekanalların siyahısını təqdim edir:

Azərbaycan, Premyer Liqa
20:00 Neftçi – Qarabağ (CBC Sport, İdman TV)

Avropa Liqası
23:00 Nottingem Forest – Aston Villa (İctimai TV, TRT Spor)

Konfrans Liqası
23:00 Şaxtyor – Kristal Pelas (CBC Sport, TRT 1)

İngiltərə Premyer Liqasını tərk edəcəyi dəqiqləşəcən “Bernli” baş məşqçisi Skott Parkerlə yollarını ayırıb.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə klubun mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb. Mütəxəssislə müqaviləyə qarşılıqlı razılaşma əsasında xitam verilib.

“Berli” çempionatda 19-cu sıradadır.

Aprelin 30-da Azərbaycan Respublikasının Prezidenti İlham Əliyev Albaniyanın paytaxtı Tiranada keçirilmiş Avropa çempionatında komanda hesabında Avropa çempionu olan yunan-Roma güləşi və sərbəst güləş, həmçinin qadın güləşi üzrə medal qazanmış idmançıları və onların məşqçilərini qəbul edib.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, dövlətimizin başçısı görüşdə çıxış edib:

“Salaməleyküm, əyləşin.

İlk növbədə, milli komandamızı Tiranada keçirilmiş Avropa çempionatında qazandığı böyük qələbə münasibətilə təbrik edirəm. Bu qələbə bizim hamımızı sevindirdi. Azərbaycan güləşçiləri bir daha göstərdilər ki, onlar Avropada birincidirlər. Avropa çempionatında komanda hesabında birinci olmaq, əlbəttə ki, böyük nailiyyətdir. Xüsusilə nəzərə alsaq ki, bu gün həm dünyada, həm Avropada güləş üzrə mübarizə daha gərgin keçir, bir çox ölkələrdən olan tanınmış güləşçilər böyük nəticələr göstərirlər və mübarizə də çox gərgin idi. Bəzi yarışları mən də izləmişəm və görmüşəm ki, bizim idmançılarımız öz peşəkarlığını göstərərək rəqibləri ədalətli mübarizədə məğlub etmişlər. Bu, əlbəttə, bütün xalqımızı sevindirir və bir daha göstərir ki, güləşimiz uğurla inkişaf edir. Güləşimizin böyük ənənələri var və biz bu ənənələri yaşadırıq. Şadam ki, tanınmış güləşçilərlə bərabər gənc güləşçilərimiz də böyük nəticələr əldə edirlər. Bu onu göstərir ki, məşq prosesi, seleksiya prosesi düzgün qurulubdur. Bu münasibətlə federasiyanı təbrik edirəm, məşqçiləri təbrik edirəm və əlbəttə ki, ilk növbədə, idmançıları.

Hər dəfə beynəlxalq yarışlarda bizim bayrağımız qaldırılanda bütün Azərbaycan xalqı qürur hissi keçirir, sevinir. Bu qələbə sevincini idmançılarımız xalqımıza bəxş edir və bu da öz növbəsində gənc nəsli vətənpərvərlik ruhunda tərbiyə etmək üçün çox önəmli amildir. İdman, ümumiyyətlə, cəmiyyətimizin ayrılmaz hissəsidir və xüsusilə son illər ərzində idmanda gedən müsbət proseslər, əlbəttə ki, hamımızı sevindirir.

Federasiyaya gəldikdə onu da qeyd etməliyəm ki, bizim tanınmış idmançılarımız, Olimpiya çempionları federasiya rəhbərliyində təmsil olunurlar. Məşqçilər arasında da tanınmış idmançılar təmsil olunur. Bu gün məşqçi kimi fəaliyyət göstərən idmançıların yarışlarını vaxtilə mən özüm izləmişəm, həm Bakıda, həm Olimpiya Oyunlarında onlara azarkeşlik etmişəm. İndi isə onların yetirmələri bizi sevindirir. Bax belə, nəsillər dəyişdikcə güləş və bütövlükdə idman Azərbaycanda nəinki yaşayır, hətta inkişaf edir və yeni zirvələrə çatır. Nəsillər dəyişir, amma bir şey dəyişmir, o da Azərbaycan idmanının uğurları.

Əlbəttə, indi federasiya, xüsusilə bölgələrdə olan gənc idmançıları məşq, təlim toplanışlarına cəlb etmək üçün işini bundan sonra da təkmilləşdirəcək. Çünki bu gün hər bir bölgədə həm Olimpiya İdman kompleksləri var, eyni zamanda, güləş zalları. Ona görə bu seleksiya işi, əlbəttə ki, gələcək uğurlarımızın əsasını təşkil edəcək.

Azərbaycan idmanının ümumi inkişafına gəldikdə hər şey göz qabağındadır. Həm Olimpiya Oyunlarında, həm də dünya, Avropa çempionatlarında bizim idmançılarımız ölkəmizi ləyaqətlə təmsil edirlər. Əlbəttə ki, uğurlarla bərabər məğlubiyyətlər də olur. Amma idmanda hər şey mümkündür. Əsas odur ki, idmançılarımızda qələbə əzmi çox güclüdür və bir daha ölkəmizin ümumi inkişafını əks etdirir. Bu gün qalib dövlət və qalib xalq kimi yaşayan dövlətimiz, xalqımız, o cümlədən idman uğurları ilə fəxr edir.

Mən sizi bu münasibətlə bir daha təbrik edirəm. Mənim idmançılarla görüşlərim müntəzəm xarakter daşıyır. 30 ilə yaxın müddət ərzində Azərbaycan Olimpiya Komitəsinə rəhbərlik edirəm. Bu 30 ilə yaxın müddət ərzində, əlbəttə ki, bir çox müsbət məqamlar olub. Əsas odur ki, idmanın dayanıqlı inkişafı, uğurlarımızın ardıcıl şəkildə davam etməsi və gənc nəslin yetişməsi – hər şey mənim gözümün önündə keçib. Görün, neçə nəsil dəyişib, amma bu gün biz yenə də uğurlarla fəxr edirik. Əsas budur və əminəm, həm Güləş Federasiyası, həm bizim digər federasiyalarımız gələcəkdə öz işlərini elə quracaqlar ki, Azərbaycan xalqı idman yarışlarına baxanda daim sevinc hissləri keçirsin.

Əlbəttə, ölkəmizdə keçirilən idman yarışları idman növlərini populyarlaşdırır. Bizim təcrübəmiz də böyükdür, çox böyük beynəlxalq yarışlar keçirmişik, həm Avropa Oyunlarını, həm İslam Həmrəyliyi Oyunlarını. Bunlar demək olar ki, Yay Olimpiya Oyunlarının səviyyəsinə çox yaxındır. Keçən il MDB Oyunlarını özü də paytaxtda yox, bölgələrdə keçirmişik. Yəni bu onu göstərir ki, çox güclü potensial var və idmana, idmançılara qayğı dövlət siyasətidir. Əminəm ki, idmançılar da bunu görür və hiss edirlər. Bir daha sizi təbrik edirəm, sizə yeni uğurlar arzulayıram”.

Daha sonra idmançılar çıxış ediblər:

Sərbəst güləşçi Turan Bayramov deyib:

“Cənab Prezident, ilk növbədə, dəyərli vaxtınızı ayırıb bizi qəbul etdiyiniz üçün sərbəst güləş milli komandası adından Sizə təşəkkürlərimizi bildiririk. Ölkəmizi Avropa çempionatında layiqincə təmsil etdik. Komandamız ardıcıl surətdə ikinci dəfədir Avropa çempionu olur. Sizin bizi qəbul etməyiniz məsuliyyətimizi daha da artırır, bizə böyük bir stimul verir. Mən də inanıram və əlimdən gələni edəcəyəm ki, gələcəkdə qarşınıza qızıl medalla çıxım”.

Yunan-Roma güləşçisi Həsrət Cəfərovun fikirlərini:

“Cənab Prezident, ilk növbədə, Sizi salamlayıram. Bizi qəbul etdiyiniz üçün çox sağ olun. Bildiyiniz kimi, Albaniyanın paytaxtı Tiranada keçirilən Avropa çempionatında qızıl medal qazandım. Bu, mənim ümumilikdə dördüncü qızılımdır və yarış həqiqətən də çox çətin keçdi. Dördqat Avropa çempionu kimi Azərbaycan yunan-Roma güləşi tarixində bir rekorda imza atdım. Bizi belə dəstəklədiyiniz, bizə göstərdiyiniz diqqət və qayğı üçün Sizə öz təşəkkürümüzü bildiririk. Sizin diqqət və qayğınız bizim üçün ən böyük məsuliyyətdir. Çox sağ olun”.

Qadın güləşçi Jalə Əliyeva bunları söyləyib:

“Cənab Prezident, bu gün burada çıxış etmək mənim üçün böyük şərəfdir. Mən dörd il bundan qabaq da Sizinlə görüşdə iştirak etmişdim. 23 yaşadək güləşçilər arasında Avropa çempionu olmuşdum. Bu dəfə isə böyüklərdən ibarət yarışda Avropa mükafatçısı oldum. Biz Sizin diqqət və qayğınızı hər zaman hiss edirik. Bizi dəvət etdiyiniz üçün təşəkkür edirəm. Çox sağ olun”.

Prezident İlham Əliyev yekunda bunları deyib:

“Çox sağ olun. Komandamız çoxmillətlidir, hələ hamı Azərbaycan dilini kifayət qədər bilmir, ona görə də rus dilində bir neçə söz demək istərdim. Hamını bir daha təbrik etmək və Azərbaycanı beynəlxalq arenada belə layiqincə təmsil etdiyinizə görə təşəkkürümü bildirmək istərdim. Əlbəttə, Avropa çempionatında belə bir mühüm, deyərdim ki, tarixi qələbədən danışarkən xüsusi qeyd etmək istərdim, həm yunan-Roma güləş növündə, həm də sərbəst növdə güləşçilər birinci yeri qazanıblar. Yəni bu, çox əhəmiyyətlidir.

Qızlara gəldikdə onların da medalçılar arasında olmalarına çox şadam. Bu, qızlar arasında da gənc nəslin güləşə böyük maraq göstərdiyindən xəbər verir. Əminəm ki, gələcəkdə də qızlar qızıl medal qazanacaqlar, mən buna şübhə etmirəm. Qızlar arasında medalçılar daha çox ola bilərdi, amma kiminsə bəxti gətirmədi. Ola bilər ki, hər hansı səhvlər də oldu, lakin bu mühümdür, çünki həm sərbəst, həm yunan-Roma, həm də qadın güləşi üzrə bütün istiqamətlər Azərbaycanda inkişaf edir.

Milli komandada belə yaxşı ab-havanın, ruh yüksəkliyinin olmasına çox şadam, hamı vahid ailə kimi bir-birinin uğuruna, qələbəsinə sevinir və bu, çox qiymətlidir.

Əlbəttə, qeyd etməli olduğum daha bir vacib məqam ondan ibarətdir ki, tanınmış idmançılar daim cəmiyyətin diqqət mərkəzindədirlər. İdmançılarımızın həm cəmiyyətdə, həm də məişətdə özlərini layiqincə aparmaları məni eyni dərəcədə çox sevindirir. Məşhur idmançıların, çempionların adi həyatda məhz bu səviyyəni saxlaya bilmədiklərinə dair tarixdə çoxlu nümunələr var və bir müddət sonra onlara idmançı kimi münasibət həmin səhvlər və ya yanlış hərəkətlər ucbatından pis istiqamətdə dəyişir. Bizdə isə artıq dediyim kimi, ən azı mənim təqribən 30 ildir Milli Olimpiya Komitəsinə rəhbərlik etdiyim dövrdə xatırladığıma görə, belə hallar olmayıb. Bu, çox vacibdir. Medallardan heç də az əhəmiyyətli olmayan odur ki, çempionlar və mükafatçılar, həmçinin cəmiyyətdə və çalışdıqları kollektivlərdə yüksək mənəvi keyfiyyətlər nümayiş etdirsinlər. Bu belə də olmalıdır. Əlbəttə ki, burada çempionlarımızın — Olimpiya çempionlarının, Avropa çempionlarının və dünya çempionlarının nümunəsi var. Dediyim kimi, vaxtilə federasiyaya rəhbərlik edənlərə və məşqçilərə azarkeşlik etmişəm, bu gün isə onlar öz tələbələrinə azarkeşlik edirlər. Bu, bizim regionumuzda ənənələrin davamlılığıdır. Tarixdə ənənələr həmişə mühüm rol oynayıb və bu, Azərbaycan cəmiyyətində və bütövlükdə Qafqaz regionunda davam edir. Bu, bizi daha da yaxınlaşdırır.

Buna görə də idmançılarımızın həm mübarizə meydanında, həm də ondan kənarda özlərini necə ləyaqətli apardıqlarını xüsusi vurğulamaq istərdim. Hakim səhvləri və ya ədalətsizliklər baş verdikdə belə, ləyaqətli davranışı qorumaq həmişə vacibdir. Çünki bəzən qərəzlilik olur – biz bunu Azərbaycan idmançılarına qarşı təkcə güləşdə deyil, xüsusən də Avropa yarışlarında dəfələrlə görmüşük. Maraqlıdır, bir qayda olaraq Avropa yarışlarında Azərbaycan idmançılarına qarşı ədalətsizlik dünya çempionatlarına nisbətən daha çox olur. Yəqin ki, Avropada heç də hamı Azərbaycanın Avropa çempionatlarında iştirak etməsinə və təkcə iştirakına deyil, həm də bütün Avropa ölkələrinə qalib gəlməsinə sevinmir.

Məhz bu səbəbdən bir daha məmnunluqla qeyd etmək və arzulamaq istərdim ki, harada olmağınızdan asılı olmayaraq, – xalça üzərində və xalçadan kənarda, – layiqli davranış prinsiplərinə daim sadiq qalmağa davam edəcəksiniz. Bu, ölkəmizi təmsil edən bütün idmançılara aiddir.

Beləliklə, bir daha təbrik edirəm və yeni qələbələr arzulayıram. Sağ olun”.

Source

Source

Source

Source

Italy legend Roberto Baggio has officially launched his TikTok account with a humorous juggling clip that ends with what appears to be an unfortunate glass-breaking mishap.

• Read Football Italia Ad-Free and get access to Exclusive News & Content – Free Trial – Click Here

Italy legend Baggio has officially joined TikTok, reaching over 200,000 followers in just a few hours.

Baggio’s first video on the platform shows him juggling the ball, but the ending is not the one most fans would expect.

After the ex-striker kicks the ball, the sound of breaking glass can be heard. At that moment, Baggio turns to the camera and says, “From today, I’m on TikTok too.”

As reported by Repubblica, Baggio’s first video has already reached two million views and over 500,000 likes.

Baggio’s first TikTok video

“Ciao ragazzi! Da oggi sono anche io su TikTok”.

Così l’ex calciatore Roberto Baggio saluta i fan e inaugura il suo nuovo profilo sulla nota piattaforma social. Nel breve video ironico pubblicato, si vede il ‘Divin codino’ palleggiare e poi calciare il pallone. Sul finale,… pic.twitter.com/fxxI6mLofe

— Radio Deejay (@radiodeejay) April 30, 2026

Italian defender Matteo Ruggeri credits Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone for his defensive development and confirms Barcelona star Lamine Yamal has been the ‘toughest’ opponent he’s faced this season.

• Read Football Italia Ad-Free and get access to Exclusive News & Content – Free Trial – Click Here

Ruggeri played the full 90 minutes in Atletico Madrid’s 1-1 draw against Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals on Wednesday.

The Italian left-back, a former Atalanta defender, is in his first season at the Wanda Metropolitano and has been a regular starter under Simeone.

Ruggeri: ‘I’ve improved defensively’ under Simeone

“I think that my development is mostly due to the coach who has believed in me from the very beginning,” Ruggeri told Sky Sport at full-time last night.

“He’s given me the trust and time to work well, and I think I’ve improved, mostly defensively, thanks to him and the work we do every day in training sessions. Obviously, I can still improve, because you can learn from any opponent. I’m happy, and we must recover well, first for Saturday’s game and then for Tuesday, because we can expect a heated environment.”

Ruggeri, 23, has made 42 appearances across all competitions this season, collecting over 3,000 minutes on the pitch under Simeone in 2025-26.

A former Atalanta defender, Ruggeri has yet to make his senior Italy debut.

The Italian defender was asked to name the toughest opponent he’s faced this season, and his reply was somewhat unsurprising.

“I don’t want to say that it is obvious, but I guess that with Lamine [Yamal], it was a nice battle,” he said.

“We’ve met many times. These matches provide motivation and the strength to play at a high level. From these matches, you understand the level and the effort required to reach a Champions League semifinal. If I have the name of the toughest one, I’ll go with him because he’s really impressive.”

Ruggeri joined Atletico Madrid in a deal worth circa €20m from Atalanta last summer, signing a contract until 2030.

Arsenal reportedly look to be making progress on a transfer deal for highly-rated Red Star Belgrade wonderkid Vasilije Kostov.

The 17-year-old attacking midfielder has enjoyed a remarkable breakthrough season in Serbia, scoring 13 goals in all competitions to establish himself as one of Europe’s top talents.

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL CAUGHTOFFSIDE APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY

According to Sportinjo, Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund have both shown an interest in Kostov, with the Gunners now reported as leading the race for his signature.

A source in their story suggests Arsenal are ready to pay €12m to sign Kostov, with an agreement close on a deal that could end up reaching a total package worth €20m.

Arsenal on verge of agreement for Vasilije Kostov transfer

“Arsenal could hardly wait and offered 12,000,000 euros,” the source is quoted as saying.

“The leaders of the London club knew that Zvezda would ask for more, so they offered generous bonuses and a percentage of future sales.

Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

“There are still details to be worked out, but with all the add-ons, the transfer could exceed 20,000,000 euros, so a deal is on the horizon.”

Kostov is also described as packing his bags to make the move to Arsenal, potentially heading to London this week.

More Stories / Latest News

Deal “on the horizon” as 13-goal midfielder packing bags for Arsenal transfer

Apr 30 2026, 10:33

Major Liverpool departure now “one step away”, claims journalist

Apr 30 2026, 10:13

Xabi Alonso open to accepting Chelsea job on one key condition

Apr 30 2026, 9:55

Arsenal doing smart work on the transfer market

Recruiting elite young players like this looks like an important step for Arsenal, who could do with getting better at buying low and selling high.

Even if the priority has to be building a winning team for Mikel Arteta, modern football also means balancing the books and meeting Financial Fair Play regulations is hugely important.

Kostov looks like he has the potential to have a fine career, and though there’ll be competition for places at Arsenal, it could be that he’ll ultimately end up being someone they can sell for a significant profit later.

The post Deal “on the horizon” as 13-goal midfielder packing bags for Arsenal transfer appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal are monitoring Red Star Belgrade attacking midfielder Vasilije Kostov, according to well-known and well-respected Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano. Romano said about Arsenal and Kostov on his YouTube channel: “His name is Vasilije Kostov. He is an offensive midfielder playing for Red Star Belgrade, 17 years old, very interesting player, very interesting player with potential. […]

The post Arsenal eye Vasilije Kostov appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Arsenal eye Vasilije Kostov appeared first on Soccer News.

Arsenal are interested in signing Sandro Tonali from Premier League rivals Newcastle United in the summer transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano. The well-known and well-respected journalist, though, has claimed that Arsenal have not made any move for the Italy international midfielder at the moment. Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Let’s see also if […]

The post Arsenal have Sandro Tonali interest appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Arsenal have Sandro Tonali interest appeared first on Soccer News.

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta did not want to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig in the summer transfer window, according to The Athletic. Slovenia international striker Sesko joins Manchester United in the summer transfer window, while Arsenal signed Sweden international striker Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP. The Athletic has reported: ‘Berta spearheaded Arsenal’s pursuit […]

The post Andrea Berta did not want Benjamin Sesko at Arsenal appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Andrea Berta did not want Benjamin Sesko at Arsenal appeared first on Soccer News.

Fabrizio Romano has reported that Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali is unlikely to return to Serie A in the summer transfer window due to the fee that the Magpies would demand for him. The well-known and well-respected Italian journalist said on his YouTube channel: “My understanding is that Sandro Tonali back to Serie A is […]

The post Sandro Tonali unlikely to return to Italy appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Sandro Tonali unlikely to return to Italy appeared first on Soccer News.

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester City central defender John Stones has been offered to clubs in Serie A. Stones has announced that he will leave Man City at the end of the season when his current contract runs out. The English defender will become a free agent thereafter, and well-known and well-respected Italian journalist […]

The post John Stones offered to Serie A clubs appeared first on Soccer News.

The post John Stones offered to Serie A clubs appeared first on Soccer News.

Benfica will not be able to stop Jose Mourinho from taking the Real Madrid managerial job should the Portuguese boss decide to do so, according to Fabrizio Romano. The well-known and well-respected Italian journalist has reported that Madrid want to bring Mourinho back as their manager at the end of the season. Romano said about […]

The post Benfica helpless to stop Jose Mourinho from Real Madrid move appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Benfica helpless to stop Jose Mourinho from Real Madrid move appeared first on Soccer News.

Arsenal are monitoring Red Star Belgrade attacking midfielder Vasilije Kostov, according to well-known and well-respected Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano. Romano said about Arsenal and Kostov on his YouTube channel: “His name is Vasilije Kostov. He is an offensive midfielder playing for Red Star Belgrade, 17 years old, very interesting player, very interesting player with potential. […]

The post Arsenal eye Vasilije Kostov appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Arsenal eye Vasilije Kostov appeared first on Soccer News.

Arsenal are interested in signing Sandro Tonali from Premier League rivals Newcastle United in the summer transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano. The well-known and well-respected journalist, though, has claimed that Arsenal have not made any move for the Italy international midfielder at the moment. Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Let’s see also if […]

The post Arsenal have Sandro Tonali interest appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Arsenal have Sandro Tonali interest appeared first on Soccer News.

Real Madrid are open to selling France international midfielder Eduardo Camavinga in the summer transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano. The well-known and well-respected Italian journalist has said on his YouTube channel: “From Real Madrid, if a big proposal comes in the summer and Camavinga could be open to discussing that proposal, they would not […]

The post Real Madrid open to selling Eduardo Camavinga appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Real Madrid open to selling Eduardo Camavinga appeared first on Soccer News.

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta did not want to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig in the summer transfer window, according to The Athletic. Slovenia international striker Sesko joins Manchester United in the summer transfer window, while Arsenal signed Sweden international striker Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP. The Athletic has reported: ‘Berta spearheaded Arsenal’s pursuit […]

The post Andrea Berta did not want Benjamin Sesko at Arsenal appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Andrea Berta did not want Benjamin Sesko at Arsenal appeared first on Soccer News.

Fabrizio Romano has reported that Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali is unlikely to return to Serie A in the summer transfer window due to the fee that the Magpies would demand for him. The well-known and well-respected Italian journalist said on his YouTube channel: “My understanding is that Sandro Tonali back to Serie A is […]

The post Sandro Tonali unlikely to return to Italy appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Sandro Tonali unlikely to return to Italy appeared first on Soccer News.

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester City central defender John Stones has been offered to clubs in Serie A. Stones has announced that he will leave Man City at the end of the season when his current contract runs out. The English defender will become a free agent thereafter, and well-known and well-respected Italian journalist […]

The post John Stones offered to Serie A clubs appeared first on Soccer News.

The post John Stones offered to Serie A clubs appeared first on Soccer News.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona could clinch a second straight La Liga title this weekend if it maintains its winning form and Real Madrid endures another stumble.

Barcelona leads Madrid by 11 points with five games left. If Barcelona wins at Osasuna on Saturday, then Madrid must also win at Espanyol on Sunday to prolong the title race for at least one more round.

If everything goes Barcelona's way this weekend then it will host Real Madrid in a clasico in the following game as the newly crowned champion.

While Hansi Flick is on the cusp of a third major title (including the 2025 Copa del Rey) in his two years in charge of Barcelona, Madrid is facing a second straight season without a major piece of silverware.

Key matches

Barcelona is running away with the domestic title. It has won nine straight in La Liga, a domestic winning run marred only by a loss to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Barcelona can’t expect an easy victory in Pamplona, however.

Ninth-placed Osasuna has lost only twice at its El Sadar Stadium this season and is on a run of 10 straight home matches without defeat.

Madrid, meanwhile, has only one win its last six games across all competitions as it limps to the finish of a disappointing season in which Xabi Alonso was fired and — barring a drastic change of events — Álvaro Arbeloa will also be ousted in the offseason.

Espanyol has been in an even bigger rut than Madrid.

Espanyol was in fifth place at the start of 2026 but it has yet to win this year — an astonishing run of 16 games — and fallen into the large group of teams trying to avoid relegation.

Atletico Madrid plays at Valencia on Saturday before Diego Simeone's team visits Arsenal next week with their Champions League semifinal poised after a 1-1 first-leg draw.

Players to watch

Barcelona 22-year-old midfielder Fermín López, who is expected to play for Spain at this summer’s World Cup, is finishing the campaign as one of its most incisive attacking players. His goal in the 2-0 win at Getafe last Saturday was No. 13 for Fermín this season to go with 16 assists.

While Madrid struggles, Vinícius Júnior is keeping up his good form with two goals in his last two league games.

Out of action

Lamine Yamal is out for the season for Barcelona with a muscle injury. Raphinha’s return from injury is unknown after he was back to practicing with the team this week. Both Barcelona stars are expected to be fit for the World Cup.

Madrid will be missing regular starters Kylian Mbappé, Éder Militão and Arda Güler at Espanyol. Mbappé has a left hamstring issue and the France striker will rest with the World Cup starting in June.

Militão has been ruled out of the World Cup for Brazil after he underwent surgery to fix a hamstring injury this week.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Former England international Ashley Young has announced he is retiring from playing at the age of 40.

Young started out at Watford before going on to play for Aston Villa, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Everton, starting as a winger before becoming a full-back.

He ends his career at Ipswich Town, having joined the Portman Road club on a one-year deal in July 2025 after being released by Everton.

Young made his England debut in November 2007 and won 39 caps for the national team, scoring seven goals.

"It's been some journey that I only dreamt of as a boy," Young wrote on social media.

"But with this dream there has to be an ending and Saturday might be the last game of my professional career ... 23 years and OUT."

Ipswich head into their final game of the Championship season against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday in the second automatic promotion place.

They are one point above third-placed Millwall and two points better off than Middlesbrough, who are in fourth and, if they are overtaken by either of those teams, will face the play-offs.

Young, who started his professional career when he made his debut for Watford in 2003, won the Premier League, Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup with Manchester United and the Serie A title during his stint with Inter Milan.

In an injury-affected season he has made just 13 appearances for Ipswich, with 10 of those as a substitute.

His last appearance for the Tractor Boys was on 20 January when he came on as a late substitute in a 2-0 win against Bristol City.

"I knew I was going to have to come to this decision at some point," Young told Sky Sports News. "I'm not getting any younger and my body has started to talk to me now as well.

"To be able to go out on my own terms is the main thing for me.

"I know I've announced that [retirement] now but, for me, my focus is solely on getting this club promoted again and back to the Premier League."

• Follow your club with BBC Sport
• Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast
• Get football news sent straight to your phone

Andy Robertson has reportedly given ‘consideration’ to a ‘verbal offer’ which has been made to him by Turkish outfit Fenerbahce.

The 32-year-old will leave Liverpool at the end of this season after nine years at Anfield, with the Scotland captain indicating that he hadn’t been offered a new contract by the club prior to his current deal expiring this summer.

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY

The Telegraph‘s Dominic King reported a fortnight ago that the left-back ‘would favour’ a move to Tottenham Hotspur if they retain their Premier League status, but with that very much under threat, a proposal has reportedly come in from elsewhere.

Robertson receives ‘verbal offer’ from Fenerbahce

Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu has claimed (via X) that Robertson’s agent was invited to Istanbul by Fenerbahce chiefs, who duly made a ‘verbal offer’ that the player has ‘taken under consideration’.

However, those negotiations are said to have now been parked because of the upcoming presidential election at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in the first week of June.

Want more Empire of the Kop coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

Where will Robertson end up after Liverpool?

If the Liverpool left-back were to accept the reported offer from the Super Lig outfit, he’d link up with several players he’s come up against during high-profile Premier League clashes throughout his time at Anfield.

Ederson (ex-Manchester City), Fred (ex-Manchester United), N’Golo Kante (ex-Chelsea and Leicester), Matteo Guendouzi (ex-Arsenal) and Caglar Soyuncu (ex-Leicester) are all now at Fenerbahce, who also have Marco Asensio, Milan Skriniar and Nelson Semedo.

The Sukru Saracoglu has certainly been a popular destination for experienced players moving on from the English top flight, but the club’s decision to put the talks with Robertson on hold because of the upcoming election could backfire.

It’s quite possible that other suitors could come in for the Scotland captain in the meantime and move quicker to close an agreement with him – maybe Spurs if they avoid relegation from the Premier League?

It remains to be seen where the 32-year-old’s career will next take him, but what we can say for certain is that whoever signs him will be getting a top-class professional who – as he showed against Crystal Palace last weekend – is still capable of excelling on the big stage.

All things considered, the Philadelphia Eagles can feel good about how this offseason played out. It wasn’t always smooth. There were early concerns about timing, questions about the offensive coordinator search, and the usual impatience that comes with operating in Philadelphia. But fast forward to now, and most of the noise has quieted. The coaching staff is in place. The roster has been reshaped. The tone feels different.

Still, this is Philadelphia. The conversation never truly ends. With the NFL Draft now over and training camp approaching, the Eagles will continue tweaking the roster. They don’t need to make any major moves, but adding a few low-cost veterans for insurance wouldn’t be surprising. If they choose to explore that route, a few names still linger on the market.

The Eagles may not be interested in any of these guys. It's almost a given that they won't sign all of them, but just in case you're interested, these might be the best guys still available at positions of need.

Mekhi Becton, offensive tackle

A reunion would certainly turn heads. Mekhi Becton showed flashes during his time in Philadelphia, and by most accounts, he was comfortable in the system (and happy). The concerns haven't changed. Injuries and consistency remain part of the conversation, but the upside remains.

If the Eagles want depth with starting experience, this is a familiar option. He's still available and someone this organization knows. Is the gamble worth it? Debate will wage over whether or not it is, but so far, the Eagles haven't pursued anything solid.

Jadeveon Clowney, edge rusher

An idea so crazy it might work, but it comes with baggage. Jadeveon Clowney isn't exactly a fan favorite in Philadelphia, and for good reason. There was that time he stuck his helmet in Nick Foles chest and went full-blown 'Hulk Smash' on Carson Wentz during the latter's only playoff start.

But strictly from a football perspective, the argument exists. He's still productive, still disruptive, and still capable of contributing in a rotation. It's unlikely. It isn't anyone's first choice, but they say teams can never have too many pass rushers.

Donovan Wilson, Ashtyn Davis, or Xavier Woods - safeties

If there's one area that still invites discussion, it's safety. The Eagles have solid options, but not necessarily one that changes how opponents game-plan. Adding a veteran like Donovan Wilson could provide stability and experience. Ashtyn Davis and Xavier Woods offer depth alternatives if Philadelphia prefers flexibility.

None are splash moves. Adding guys who once played for the Dallas Cowboys never seems to work, but Wilson would finally give this safety room a real starter. No disrespect is intended to Marcus Epps. He has played well, but there are still questions along the defensive backend.

Scott Daly, long snapper

It's not glamorous, but it matters.

Scott Daly brings experience to a position that often goes unnoticed, until it doesn't. With an undrafted rookie currently in line for the role as the only long snapper on the roster, adding competition wouldn't be a bad idea. As a matter of fact, it may be necessary.

Here's the reality. The Eagles don't need saving. They don't need a headline-grabbing move. The roster doesn't need much, but the best teams don't wait for problems. They prepare for them, and if Philadelphia decides to add one more piece or two, it won't be about desperation. It'll be about staying ready for whatever comes next.

This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: 5 Bargain free agents who could offer the Eagles valuable insurance

These past few seasons haven't gone according to plan, but the Wisconsin Badgers football program still has one of the nation's best records since 1998.

When focusing on teams' win percentage in the BCS/College Football Playoff era, Wisconsin ranks No. 13.

The Badgers have a .682 winning percentage in that span with an overall record of 245-114. Coming off back to back losing seasons, it's incredible to still see them ranked so high.

Sustained success is hard in any sport, but especially in college, where there is so much turnover year after year. The best of the best include Ohio State (.832), Boise State (.792), and Georgia (.776), with nine total teams having a winning percentage of .700 or higher in that span.

Wisconsin is just 23-27 in its last four seasons, which really puts things into perspective. This is a Badgers team that had a lengthy bowl streak, including a slew of notable Rose Bowl appearances. Sure, a National Championship has eluded them, but even in these down years, it's remarkable to think the Badgers are in the same conversation as teams like Alabama, Oklahoma, Oregon, LSU, Clemson, among others.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin Badgers football winning percentage ranks No. 13 since 1998

Hunter Henry knows what it’s like to be a Day 2 draft pick.

After being selected 35th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft by the then-San Diego Chargers, Henry joined a tight end room that featured future Hall of Famer Antonio Gates and veteran Sean McGrath.

Sharing that room proved to be a valuable experience early in his career. Now, with the Patriots selecting tight end Eli Raridon on Day 2 of this year’s draft, Henry hopes to pay it forward now as the veteran.

“I’m always trying to be a leader. I had some good vets when I was young, obviously, with Antonio Gates and some guys like Sean McGrath is another guy that comes to mind,” Henry said on Tuesday. “Those guys really helped me come along. Sometimes it wasn’t even what they said. It was just watching how they process things and how they went about their business, and handling everything. It really taught me what was to kind of be in this league.

“So really, hopefully [Raridon] can come alongside and just watch that process. Obviously, I’m going to be there for him.”

Entering his 11th NFL season, Henry has remained a productive piece for the Patriots’ offense. He is coming off a season in which he posted a career-high 768 receiving yards, while his 60 catches were the second-most of his career behind the 2024 season. His seven touchdowns were also this highest total since 2021.

With Henry and free agent Julian Hill, who is best known for his work in the run game, atop the tight end depth chart, Raridon will have the opportunity to ease into his role as a rookie before potentially taking on a larger role down the line.

“Hunter Henry is someone I haven’t studied his game, but really like,” Raridon said after being selected. “I know he’s a great player, great person, heard great things about him and I’m really excited to learn under him.”

Henry, meanwhile, is looking forward to the new-look tight end room.

“We try to have a close-knit tight end in the room,” he said. “What a blessing it is to get drafted and we’re excited to add him to the room. He can bring a lot of value and excited to meet him and excited about having him here.”

It has been a season of ups and downs for Manchester United and Liverpool.

However, Sunday's Premier League meeting (15:30 BST) at Old Trafford will undoubtedly offer both sides an opportunity to claim third position in the league table come the end of the campaign.

Earlier in the season a Bruno Fernandes assist and a Harry Maguire header secured United's first win at Anfield in nearly a decade, a victory which put them ninth in the league table after eight games.

Now Michael Carrick's Red Devils have the opportunity to secure their first league double over rivals Liverpool since the 2015-16 campaign.

Carrick watched United complete their last double over the Reds standing with the United faithful in the lower tier of Anfield Road as he recovered from an injury.

Since Carrick's first Premier League game in charge this season, United have won more points than any other side (29). Carrick's nine wins in 13 matches (D2 L2) are already more than Ruben Amorim won in his 20 games in 2025-26 (W8 D7 L5).

And still the 44-year-old interim manager's future is unknown.

The last time Carrick faced Liverpool in his playing days, he was an unused substitute for Jose Mourinho's team in a 2-1 victory.

Carrick will again watch from the sidelines, but this time the stakes are even higher as he looks to secure his future at Old Trafford.

Fortunately for United fans, the 'Egyptian King's' Liverpool career is coming to an end, but it's worth a reminder that Mohamed Salah has scored more goals against the Red Devils both overall (13) and away from home (seven) than any other player in Premier League history. Though, his current injury may prevent him adding to those tallies.

Eight players are in contention to win the Premier League's Player of the Month award for April.

Manchester City and West Ham are best represented with two players apiece - Nico O'Reilly and Rayan Cherki for the title hopefuls and Jarrod Bowen and Konstantinos Mavropanos for the relegation battlers.

Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest skipper Morgan Gibbs-White is in the running along with Noah Okafor (Leeds), Pascal Groß (Brighton) and Alex Scott (Bournemouth).

Voting is open until Monday with the winner announced later next week.

Who should get it? Let us know in the comments!

BURNLEY, England (AP) — Scott Parker has left his role as Burnley coach, the Premier League club said on Thursday.

Parker's departure came after relegation was confirmed last week after defeat to Manchester City. Burnley said the decision was mutual.

“He leaves with the respect and gratitude of everyone connected with Burnley Football Club,” it said in a statement.

Parker led Burnley to promotion to the Premier League last season with an unbeaten run of 33 matches after replacing former manager Vincent Kompany. He was previously in charge of Fulham, Bournemouth and Club Brugges.

“It has been an immense privilege to lead this great club over the past two years. I have enjoyed every moment of our journey together, but feel that now is the right time for both parties to move in a different direction,” Parker said.

Burnley had begun finding a new coach and assistant Mike Jackson would be interim for the last four games in the league.

Burnley was second to last in the 20-team division, having won four and lost 22 games. Burnley was eliminated from the FA Cup by third-tier Mansfield in February.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

As Churchill’s sunny, outdoor post-position draw for the $5-million, 2026 Kentucky Derby got underway on April 25, there was a sociable background hum in the seating area as trainers, owners and the press met and greeted each other. But in the early going as leading unofficial backstretch favorite Renegade’s paper was pulled, and the horse received the dreaded Churchill stall on the rail, there was a sudden, noticeable silence. You could almost watch the thought race through the crowd: Thank God that wasn’t me.

And yet: minutes later, as Churchill’s new odds captain Nick Tammaro put through his very first Kentucky Derby morning line on the field, there was young Renegade as the top dog, at 4-1. Two questions: First, does stall No. 1 in the Churchill “new” 20-horse gate somehow not carry the “curse” of producing no Derby winners, even though it’s 0-6 since its debut in 2020? And, perhaps more importantly, second: What is it about Renegade (and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.) that makes Mr. Tammaro think that the dismal record of the post position — in the new gate or in the old 14-horse one — doesn’t matter?

In answer to the second question, as trainer Pletcher and part-owner Mike Repole (of Vitamin Water and Body Armor fame) have both given us to understand, the Churchill rail is what it is, and they will try to make the best of it. In the larger sense, Renegade’s late-running power surge to win the Arkansas Derby by four lengths proved a couple of things, not least that the horse possesses the precise tool kit for the Derby distance and its demands. Like Further Ado in the Blue Grass, Renegade put a very great deal of room between himself and the peloton in the very last furlongs of the graded stakes that got him the invitation to the big race.

Stall No. 1 in the Churchill gate in the face of a 20-horse field thundering down into the first turn does still mean that Irad Ortiz will have to take back — or that he must, more daringly and dangerously, try to squirt out in front, then slide back off the pace as they work up the backstretch. Any way you cut it, the stall adds a daunting, traffic-rich tactical series of sidesteps to Renegade’s burgeoning do-list in the race — in addition to whatever tactical problems Pletcher, Ortiz and Repole were thinking they faced just having to work their man to the front in the last two furlongs on Saturday. Breaking from the rail in a Derby gives the equine athlete quite some choreography of gear-shifting in addition to the gear-shifting required of nominally “better” post positions.

The question for Renegade — and the reason that the three-time Derby winning trainer Pletcher is less than sanguine about being slotted into the rail — is simply that the extra layer of demand brought by the rail in a Derby can become the straw that broke the camel’s back in this one traffic-choked race.

Which brings us back to the first question inspired by Odds-czar Tammaro’s position that Renegade has the moxie to overcome all foes and all track disadvantages: The Churchill rail hole is “dreaded” not just because it’s 0-for-6 since the new gate was introduced. Of the last fifteen Derbies, nine (or 60%) have been won by runners starting from stall Nos. 15-20. That implies that the ordinarily holy tactical notion of “saving ground” is far less important in a Kentucky Derby than the simply doing what you have to do to get a clean trip. In reference to Renegade, it means that anything he and Ortiz devise to get around the traffic will be better for them than staying inside.

It will remain an irony of Saturday’s race — and of Derby history — that all outside post positions are not alike, and some can even be worse than the rail. Derby champ Ferdinand did in fact win the big race from the rail in 1986, forty years ago, the last contender to do so. Post 14, by contrast, last produced a winner sixty-five years ago, in 1961, when Carry Back (who also won the Preakness) went off as the 5-2 favorite and breezily carried the day with a commanding two-plus length stretch run.

Pletcher, Ortiz and Repole will be hoping their boy can snap the rail hole’s four-decade drought with a dancing, traffic-free run on Saturday.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

The Professional Women’s Hockey League’s third season has come to an end and the postseason officially begins on Thursday night.

The top-seeded Montreal Victoire chose to play against the third-place — and two-time defending champion — Minnesota Frost in the first round of the PWHL Walter Cup Playoffs, the team announced on Sunday.

Since the inaugural PWHL season in 2024, the league has allowed its regular-season champion to select either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed to play in the first round of the playoffs. This year, that meant the Victoire could have their pick between Minnesota and the Ottawa Charge, which clinched the fourth and final playoff spot on the final day of the season.

Ottawa will play the second-seeded Boston Fleet in the series that begins Thursday at the Tsongas Center. Montreal and Minnesota will open their series on Saturday, May 2.

Here’s everything you need to know before puck drop.

Montreal’s bold choice

It might have come as a shock that Montreal — which has been upset in the first round of the playoffs in back-to-back seasons — would opt to play the PWHL’s only champion in this year’s opening round.

In Year 1, Minnesota snuck into the playoffs on a five-game losing streak then beat No. 1 Toronto in the first round before winning the first-ever Walter Cup championship. Minnesota upset Toronto again last season en route to a second straight league title.

The Frost enter the postseason on another losing skid, this time a four-game streak, but have proven capable of flipping a switch when it matters most. Not to mention, Minnesota has the most potent offense in the league this season (91 goals) and five of the top 10 scorers, led by Kelly Pannek (33 points in 30 games).

So why would Montreal want to take them on?

Coach Kori Cheverie did not offer much in the way of detail about the decision but said there was an “internal process” that helped the group land on Minnesota. “We’re looking forward to the opportunity,” she said.

Last season, Montreal opted to face the Ottawa Charge (the No. 3 seed), and bowed out of the postseason in four games. Charge goalie Gwyneth Philips, the eventual playoff MVP, posted a .955 save percentage in the first round, and only allowed six goals against in the series. Philips has been red-hot down the stretch for Ottawa again this season too, winning four straight games and making 130 saves on 132 shots to help her team clinch another playoff berth.

Given the choice between playing against a high-end goalie hitting her stride and the back-to-back champs, Montreal went with the latter.

According to Dom Luszczyszyn’s model, the Victoire would be the heavy favorites either way, with a 74 percent chance at beating the Charge in the semifinals — just five percent greater than their odds against Minnesota.

There’s no question that the Frost have star power, with the best group of five forwards in the league. Kelly Pannek, Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Britta Curl-Salemme combined for 65 goals this season, which accounted for around 71 percent of the team’s offense. It’s also more than three entire teams — Toronto, New York and Seattle — scored all season, which is incredibly impressive. Their depth, however, looks like it could be exploitable for Montreal.

Minnesota also struggled to produce at the same elite clip against the league’s top teams. Sixty-five of the Frost’s 91 goals this season came against non-playoff teams. They scored just 13 against Montreal (3) and Boston (10), the top two teams in the PWHL standings.

Montreal beat Minnesota in all four regular season meetings this season, outscoring the Frost 12-3 and shutting them out entirely in their last two matchups — including in one game without Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin. Leading that shutdown has been Ann-Renée Desbiens, who set records for the league’s best single-season save percentage (.955) and goals-against average (1.11), and is one of the biggest reasons to believe this year’s playoff result might be different.

It’s certainly a risk to bet against Minnesota in the playoffs — or to knowingly poke the bear, if you will. But at the very least, it looks like a reasonable pick by the league’s best team.

The rest of the field

The Victoire’s choice in opponent sets up what could be an incredible goalie duel between Boston starter Aerin Frankel and Ottawa’s Gwyneth Philips. While Philips was the star of last year’s playoffs, it was Frankel in 2024 who carried her team to the Finals, losing in five games to Minnesota.

The Boston Fleet missed the playoffs last year, but have been one of the league’s most dominant teams this season and became the fastest in league history to clinch a playoff spot (on March 29) with six games remaining in their regular season. Under new coach Kris Sparre, Boston plays a solid defensive game — only Montreal (41) allowed fewer goals against this season than Boston (45) — anchored by Frankel between the pipes.

In her third PWHL season, Frankel posted career highs in save percentage (.953) and goals-against average (1.17), which each ranked second behind Desbiens. She also broke (another) league record for shutouts in a single season with eight and her 19 wins this season tied Desbiens for the most in a single season.

And as scary as Boston’s “green monster” is, she’s not the only reason the Fleet are heavily favored in this matchup. The team has elite talent at every position, despite major losses in the expansion draft, including captain Hilary Knight.

Boston has two of the best defenders in the league in Megan Keller and Haley Winn, who Sparre can use on a loaded top pair. He can also split them up for a more balanced top four that can come in waves with two all-situations defenders.

Keller, who scored the golden goal for Team USA at the Milan Olympics, led the position in scoring this season (22 points). Winn, who was drafted second overall in last year’s draft, finished third among defenders (19) and second among all rookie skaters.

“She didn’t play like a rookie,” Keller said about her teammate for club and country. “She’s been a part of the national team for years, and she’s incredible to watch, incredible to play with. … I find myself sometimes just watching her do her thing, because she’s so fun (with) creating space and creating opportunities for our team.”

Nobody played more than Winn (26:45) or Keller (26:39) this season, who also rank top five in overall net rating among league-wide defenders. Boston’s depth on defense isn’t ideal, especially with free agent signing Zoe Boyd on long-term injury reserve, but Winn and Keller have proven able to carry the load.

At forward, Alina Müller, Susanna Tapani and Jessie Eldridge give Boston a big three that could be difficult to handle. Müller is one of the premier playmakers in the PWHL and has paired well with Eldridge — a naturally gifted goal-scorer who was acquired via trade with Seattle in March — on Boston’s top line, combining for six goals in the final month of the season.

This matchup should be tighter than the odds suggest, however, as the Charge pushed the Fleet to overtime or a shootout in all four regular season meetings. And Boston only won one of those games, 3-2 in a shootout.

“It’s a big testament, I think, to how good of goalies they are,” Keller said. “(We’re) gonna have to find ways to get pucks in the back of the net.”

Storylines to watch

How will Poulin’s injury affect Montreal?

Since the moment she left the ice at the Milan Olympics, Poulin’s status has been a near-constant topic in the women’s game. A lower-body injury in Milan forced her to miss two games at the Olympics for Team Canada, and Montreal’s first contest following the Olympic break.

She returned for a few games, before leaving a March 15 game against Boston, favoring her right leg. Poulin spent much of the final month of the season on long-term injured reserve and returned for the final game of the season, tallying an assist on Montreal’s opening goal to help the team clinch the No. 1 seed. When asked to rate how healthy she feels heading into the postseason, Poulin was charmingly evasive.

“The heart, the mind is there,” she said. “I’m going to do anything possible to play my game.”

Poulin, 34, is still widely considered the best player in the game. Despite the injury, she was a point-per-game player this season and ranks second in Net Rating (5.4) behind only Kendall Coyne Schofield (6.2).

Perhaps more importantly, Montreal is far better constructed this season to compete in the postseason, and to withstand an injury to someone as critical to the mix as Poulin. Montreal has more offensive depth this season, with Abby Roque and Hayley Scamurra joining veteran Laura Stacey at the top of the Montreal scoring list. Rookie defender Nicole Gosling has been excellent this season, and tied Winn for the co-lead in rookie scoring by a defender with 19 points.

In 10 games down the stretch without Poulin, Montreal had 12 different scorers, including depth players such as Catherine Dubois and Kaitlin Willoughby, who had never scored in the PWHL before April 3 against Ottawa. Scamurra, a valuable defensive forward, led the way with five goals and her first career hat trick. During that stretch, Montreal lost just one game in regulation.

“Coming into the playoffs, we’ve struggled the last two years (but) it’s a new year and it’s a new team,” said Poulin. “We have depth, we have the right people.”

Ottawa’s top line

Boston’s elite talent certainly gives them an edge in the series, but the Ottawa Charge have one of the most productive lines in the PWHL. No two players combined for more goals this season than Ottawa captain Brianne Jenner and Rebecca Leslie (16), who each finished in the top 10 in league-wide scoring.

Jenner had a resurgent season with 12 goals and 26 points in 30 games. Leslie, meanwhile, is arguably the breakout player of the 2025-26 season. In her first two years, between Toronto and Ottawa, Leslie was a useful depth player, scoring three career goals in her first 51 career games. This year, Leslie looked a step quicker at training camp, and according to Jenner, “so many pieces to her game were just so dialed in.” Leslie quickly earned a top-line role beside Jenner — who she played with in the now-defunct Canadian Women’s Hockey League back in 2019 — and broke out for 14 goals and 23 points.

“She’s come up in such big moments for us this year,” Jenner said. “I’ve been really lucky to play with her and it’s been fun to have that chemistry with someone that I’ve known for so long.”

Rookie Sarah Wozniewicz has been an excellent complementary winger on that line, with high energy and forechecking ability.

“We’re able to create a lot of quick transition offense because of what Woz brings to our line,” Jenner said.

Should Boston’s top defenders shut Ottawa’s top line down, the Charge have other options in Gabbie Hughes and Fanuza Kadirova, who entered the league as a wild card from a Russian women’s hockey league and finished third on the team in goals.

Minnesota’s last dance?

While most teams were devastated by the expansion draft process, Minnesota largely picked up right where it left off last season, finishing with the league’s best offense for a second consecutive year. The Frost lost star defenders Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson on defense, but the team still retained most of its core group despite leaving several important forwards exposed to the expansion draft process.

Captain Coyne Schofield, Heise, Curl-Salemme and No. 1 defender Lee Stecklein were protected by the Frost. But — by virtue of expansion Vancouver opting for depth forwards in the draft — Kelly Pannek and Grace Zumwinkle slipped through the cracks. Pannek went on to win the league’s scoring title and Zumwinkle finished fifth in goals with a career-high 13.

The league’s rules around the next round of expansion have yet to be revealed, but if teams are only able to protect three (or four) players again this season, there’s very little chance Pannek and Zumwinkle sneak through should they be left unprotected again. No matter who the Frost leave unprotected, they’re bound to lose another critical group of talent, whether it’s established stars or valuable rookies like defender Kendall Cooper. That’s not necessarily unique to the Frost, as every team will feel the pain of expansion again this offseason, but more looming changes could give Minnesota’s quest for a threepeat a bit more of a “Last Dance” feel.

The Frost have already shown over the last two years they just have to get into the playoffs to make some waves. That extra bit of motivation could make Minnesota an even scarier opponent.

The schedule

Thursday, April 30

Game 1: Ottawa at Boston (Tsongas Center) at 7 p.m. ET

Saturday, May 2

Game 1: Minnesota at Montreal (Place Bell) at 2 p.m. ET

Game 2: Ottawa at Boston (Tsongas Center) at 7 p.m. ET

Tuesday, May 5

Game 2: Minnesota at Montreal (Place Bell) at 7 p.m. ET

Thursday, May 7

Game 3: Montreal at Minnesota (Grand Casino Arena) at 7 p.m. ET*

*subject to change pending NHL playoffs

Friday, May 8

Game 3: Boston at Ottawa (Canadian Tire Centre) at 7 p.m. ET

Sunday, May 10

Game 4: Boston at Ottawa (Canadian Tire Centre) at 3 pm.m ET**

**if necessary

Minnesota will have home ice for Game 4 (if necessary) against Montreal. Boston will host Ottawa for Game 5 (if necessary) at the Tsongas Center. Final first round dates and times are to be determined.

How to watch

In Canada, the Montreal-Minnesota series will be available on Prime Video; Boston-Ottawa will air on TSN.

Both semifinals will be available to fans in the United States through local and regional broadcast partners, including NESN/NESN+ for Boston games and FOX 9+ for Minnesota, and on the league’s YouTube channel.

The Walter Cup Finals will air nationally in the U.S. on ION and YouTube. TSN and RDS will air the Finals in Canada.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Toronto Sceptres, Minnesota Frost, Vancouver Goldeneyes, New York Sirens, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Seattle Torrent, Boston Fleet, NHL, Women's Hockey

2026 The Athletic Media Company

One UFC veteran wasn’t happy with Dana White’s reaction to the recent shooting near the White House, especially after he called it “awesome.”

The UFC president is heading to Washington, D.C., soon for a special fight card on the White House lawn.

White was also in the area ahead of that event, attending last Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

White was at the Washington Hilton when news broke of a gunman opening fire outside. Despite the serious situation, he didn’t seem too bothered by what happened.

Matt Brown criticises Dana White for calling White House shooting “awesome”

Speaking to USA Today, White described the incident as “awesome,” going into detail about his experience at the event.

“It was f—ing awesome,” he said. “I literally took every minute of it in, and it was a pretty crazy, unique experience. We were sitting right in front of the table, right in front of where the president was.

“Nobody got tackled, but guys came in looking for shooters and they came toward our table. I thought the shooter was over by us or something.”

The shooter, identified as a 31-year-old schoolteacher and computer engineer, fired shots in the lobby before being apprehended. A Secret Service agent was struck during the incident.

Brown addressed this during an episode of MMA Fighting’s The Fighter vs. The Writer, pushing back against White’s choice of words.

Brown knows firsthand what it’s like to be caught up in a shooting. He was at a 2004 Damageplan concert when four people were killed.

With that background, Brown didn’t hold back on his feelings about how White reacted to Saturday’s events.

“I’ve been there when there was a shooting going on, which most people probably haven’t,” Brown said. “It is not awesome in any sense of the word. It is not f—ing cool one bit.”

“For him to say that, I did not appreciate that. Not that my opinion matters whether I appreciate it, but there’s people whose lives are at risk there,” he continued.

Footage also emerged showing how calm White remained while the shooting happened around him.

While both he and several government officials were clear from any immediate danger, it’s worth remembering one agent did end up being shot — although reports later confirmed he is expected to recover fully.

Read more:

We asked for your views on the situation with Alisson, who is entering the final year of his contract at Anfield and is currently out because of injury.

Would this summer be the right time for Liverpool to sell him and, if so, is Giorgi Mamardashvili good enough to step up to number one?

Here are some of your comments:

Graeme: Any club wants to keep its best players and those players are also coveted by big European clubs because they're so good. Alisson is no different - he's a top keeper and has kept the team in so many matches. However, his injuries are frequent and frustrating. With Freddie Woodman making his debut, could this be his moment to become number two, with Giorgi Mamardashvili moving to number one? Whatever happens, Alisson is a legend.

Jimbo: Sell him if we can. Hopefully for big cheese to the Saudi Pro League rather than peanuts to Italy. If he stays, it's simply a downward spiral of absence through injury plus poor kicking when available.

Ian: Mamardashvili is obviously a competent replacement for Alisson or Liverpool wouldn't have bought him, and he has put in some impressive performances in Alisson's absences. If he wants to go then cash in and put the money in the transfer kitty because we definitely need to replace Mohamed Salah and strengthen a weak midfield.

Mark: Should have kept Caoimhin Kelleher - he was great.

Andy: I'd be absolutely gutted if Alisson left this summer - he still has so much to give the team, quite apart from being one of the world's best stoppers. Why would we let him go? We have missed some experience this season and he has bucketloads.

James: I worry about the loss of leadership but other than that we have a very capable number two ready to step up and what looks to be a decent number three who could also step up. There are more pressing issues to resolve than worrying too much about the goalkeeping position.

Neil: Really hope Alisson stays but would completely understand if he wanted a new challenge.

When Saudi Arabai’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) invested in Newcastle United nearly five years ago, it seemed certain the St James’ Park club was on a route to the top of English and European soccer. It was apparently inevitable that Newcastle would become the next Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain.

Instead, Eddie Howe’s team is slumped in 14th place in the Premier League table this season, a long way from the upper echelons many predicted they would have reached by now. Howe is under pressure to prove he’s still the right man for the job, but Newcastle has even more to consider than just the future of its manager.

Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and a delegation from PIF is visiting the North East this week for meetings that could determine the future direction of Newcastle United. This comes after a withdrawal of funds from LIV Golf and a resetting of several investment focuses that could hit Newcastle hard. PIF isn’t going to be spending as much on sport in the years to come.

Progress has been slow for Newcastle. While the club qualified for the Champions League quicker than anyone expected when PIF arrived in October 2021, making the steps required to challenge for soccer’s biggest prizes haven’t happened. Instead, Newcastle has regressed badly this season, falling down the league table.

The Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) haven’t helped. This limits what clubs like Newcastle United can spend in the transfer market, linking outlay to income. This explains why the club is so focused on either expanding St James’ Park or building a new, larger stadium. Newcastle must find a way to grow revenue as quickly as possible.

Howe has cut a calm and composed figure in recent weeks, even as Newcastle’s league form has plummeted. The 48-year-old is relaxed about PIF’s visit. “It’s something that happens regularly so it's nothing out of the norm for us,” he said. "I always like the chance to talk directly to the owners and to express things from my perspective. It's something we have always done and I look forward to that next week.”

Whatever the outcome of the meetings between Newcastle United’s decision-makers and PIF, the St James’ Park club clearly finds itself at a crossroads. If the Magpies are to become a force to be reckoned with in English and European soccer, this period between now and the start of the summer will be key.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

The Kentucky Wildcats staff, especially Mo Williams, has been working diligently on the recruiting trail since Williams was hired by Mark Pope as an assistant. The Wildcats have set their sights on a top player in the 2027 class.

This week, Williams extended an offer to one of the top shooting guards in the class of 2027, Chase Lumpkin, who announced the offer on Tuesday.

Lumpkin a 4-star recruit who’s ranked at No. 45 in the Rivals Industry Rankings. The Powder Springs, Georgia native plays his high school basketball at McEachern, where he’s being heavily recruited.

Lumpkin is coming off a phenomenal weekend at Nike’s EYBL, Atlanta Session. where he showcased his impressive talents and was also named MVP of the weekend by Rivals. He averaged 26 points, 7 boards, seven assists, and 2.7 steals on the weekend. Lumkin, the do-it-all guard, is certainly a player the Wildcats would like to have heading into the 2027 season.

The Cats have had interest in Lumpkin for a while now, as he’s made his way to Lexington twice, as he saw the Wildcats’ takedown of Purdue in an exhibition game, and the close loss to North Carolina in last season’s ACC/SEC Challenge.

UK’s staff have been hard on the recruiting trail for 2027 as Pope and others have been visiting quite a few players, while trying to add to their 2026-27 roster. They recently visited Ryan Hampton, the No. 9 player in the ‘27 class, then extended an offer to him. The Wildcats also made the top five for Obinna Ekezie Jr., the No. 2 player in the 2027 class.

Both Hampton and Ekezie Jr. are considering reclassifying to the class of 2026, which means the Wildcats could add them ahead of the upcoming season. It’s unknown if either of them will ultimately make the cut, but it’s certainly a possibility.

As for Lumpkin, he’s now firmly on Kentucky’s radar when it comes to building the 2027-28 roster!

Add us to your “Preferred Sources” on Google to get all of the latest Kentucky Wildcats news and views! And as always, Go CATS!!

With the summer transfer window getting closer by the day, there are several questions about how the FC Barcelona squad could look in the 2026/27 season, especially in a few key positions.

In some positions, such as midfield, the picture appears clearer. Unless there is an unexpected twist, Dani Olmo, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Fermin Lopez, Gavi and Marc Bernal will remain as regulars. The only possible exit could see Marc Casado leave.

Even then, Barcelona do not plan to invest in that position, with Tommy Marques expected to fill in as Casado’s replacement.

Changes are expected in attack. The option to buy Marcus Rashford is unlikely to be exercised, while both Robert Lewandowski and Roony Bardghji could also be on their way out. And a new centre-forward is set to be signed.

There could also be movement in defence. The club’s plan is to sign a top-level centre-back if conditions allow, with Alessandro Bastoni as the main target. Andreas Christensen, meanwhile, could be a candidate to leave.

Full-back position gets competitive

As reported by SPORT, there is set to be a lot of competition in the two full-back positions at Barcelona in the 2026/27 season.

As things stand, both Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde are expected to remain unless substantial offers arrive.

Hector Fort will be back in the summer. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

On top of that, Barcelona’s priority is to secure the continuity of Joao Cancelo, either by extending his loan from Al-Hilal or by signing him permanently. He has the trust of Hansi Flick and has even been preferred ahead of Balde in recent weeks.

So, Balde, Cancelo, and Gerard Martin, who has been used as a centre-back this term, would be options on the left side, competing for a starting berth.

On the right-hand side, Barcelona have some decisions to make as Hector Fort will return from loan at Elche. The La Masia defender suffered a shoulder injury just as he was beginning to perform well at his new club and has now returned for the final stretch of the season.

His intention is to earn a place in the Barcelona squad, although this will depend on several factors, particularly whether Flick considers him ready. After all, Xavi Espart has enjoyed a breakthrough season and has earned the manager’s trust.

It remains to be seen how Flick and Deco will resolve the situation. They must decide whether Fort should be transferred or sent on another loan, or whether Espart should go out on loan instead.

For all the praise surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2026 draft class, praise that is no doubt well-deserved, one thing remains clear. They didn’t fix everything, and the biggest question mark is staring them right in the face. Despite adding bodies, the safety position is an unfinished room that stands out as the most pressing need on the roster.

Philadelphia added Cole Wisniewski in the seventh round, and there's optimism he could develop into a contributor. Some have even floated comparisons to Reed Blankenship, but early indications suggest Wisniewski may do his best work closer to the line of scrimmage rather than as a true deep safety. That creates a gap because the Eagles lack a presence on the back end who can control the middle of the field and change how offenses attack.

The Eagles have created depth at safety but lack a dominant player.

Philadelphia's current group of safeties offers bodies, but not certainty. Drew Mukuba is expected to take the next step in his starting role in Year 2, even as he returns from injury. Marcus Epps provides experience and familiarity, but he isn't viewed as a long-term difference-maker. J.T. Gray is a core special teamer, while Andre’ Sam and Brandon Johnson remain developmental options.

Undrafted additions like Tucker Large, Maximus Pulley, and Kapena Gushiken bring competition, but they're long shots to solve the issue immediately (and Gushiken may be better suited to play slot cornerback). That's the reality. That said, it would seem the safety position is still one in flux for Philadelphia.

The departure of Blankenship and the trade involving Sydney Brown helped reshape this room quickly. What’s left is a group still searching for identity, and in today’s NFL, that isn't always a small concern. Safeties aren’t just last-line defenders anymore. They’re communicators, playmakers, and tone-setters. Without a clear answer at the position, the entire defense can feel it. The Eagles have options. They could explore veteran additions. They could trust internal development. They could wait and see how the competition unfolds in camp, but make no mistake. This isn’t a minor detail to monitor. It’s the one question that could define how far this defense and this team can go because for all the strengths on this roster, the Eagles still need someone to hold it all together on the back end.

This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Eagles’ biggest need after NFL draft the safety spot opposite Mukuba

Leah Williamson has signed a new contract with Arsenal which is expected to keep her at the club until at least 2028.

The England international's renewal was always likely with the player having come through the academy and the news comes just two days after teammate Steph Catley also committed to the Gunners.

Williamson first made her debut for Arsenal as a 17-year-old back in 2014 and the defender has gone on to feature in over 275 games for the club since then.

This season, Williamson's season has been interrupted by a knee injury and she was an unused substitute in Wednesday's 7-0 hammering over Leicester City that moved Arsenal up to third in the WSL.

As is standard, Arsenal did not divulge the length of Williamson's new contract but the reliable Emma Sanders of BBC Sport suggests it is a two-year contract.

A fresh update from the transfer rumour mill has placed Richard Hughes firmly at the centre of uncertainty, with reports suggesting our sporting director could soon be on his way out of Anfield.

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY

The timing couldn’t feel more significant either, given the wider backdrop of change around the club, both on and off the pitch.

Hughes ‘one step away’ from Liverpool exit

According to journalist Nicolo Schira on X, via his latest update, Hughes is now extremely close to finalising a move to Saudi Arabia after initial interest earlier this year.

Schira reported: “Richard Hughes is one step away to sign for Al Hilal as new sporting director. Agreement in principle for 3-years contract as revealed last March. He is set to leave Liverpool to join the Saudi Club.”

That follows an earlier claim in March which stated: “Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes is currently Al Hilal’s main target for the sporting director role. Offered 3-years contract to try to convince him to join Saudi Pro League.”

This is a situation that has been quietly building in the background, especially after suggestions that Al-Hilal had identified the Liverpool figure as their priority target.

Paul Joyce has already highlighted that Hughes’ future, alongside Michael Edwards, isn’t entirely settled, with both figures approaching the final stages of their current deals.

What this could mean for Liverpool

If the 46-year-old were to depart, it would represent another layer of instability during a summer that already looks set to bring significant change, particularly with senior players like Mo Salah and Andy Robertson moving on.

There’s also a wider debate to be had around the work carried out under Hughes so far, especially after a transfer window that has come under scrutiny, with big-money arrivals struggling to fully deliver and key departures raising questions about long-term planning.

At the same time, Fabrizio Romano had previously suggested the sporting director remained committed to the Liverpool project, which makes this latest update feel like a notable shift in direction.

Losing a senior decision-maker at this stage would only add to the uncertainty surrounding the club’s trajectory, particularly when ticket protests and fan unrest have already highlighted a disconnect between supporters and the hierarchy.

Whether this move materialises or not, it’s another situation we’ll be watching closely, because the implications could stretch far beyond one individual departure.

Arsenal were furious after they were not awarded a penalty against Atletico Madrid in the second half of their Champions League semi-final first leg. Los Colchoneros drew level in the period, but the controversial moment came when the referee opted to reverse his decision on a penalty given for a perceived foul on Eberechi Eze following a VAR review.

Mikel Arteta was ‘very angry’ about the decision not to give the spot kick, while Atletico’s players were unanimous in declaring that the referee had got the call right. Diego Simeone preferred to shift the focus to Arsenal’s first penalty, believing that it was not sufficient for a penalty. Meanwhile Declan Rice claimed that the Metropolitano had had an impact on the VAR officials in Switzerland.

Piero Hincapie: ‘It’s a very clear mistake’

Defender Piero Hincapie did not place emphasis on the impact of the Metropolitano, but he had little doubt in declaring that it was a clear error from the referee.

“It’s a bit… The penalty they didn’t give, it was very clear. And that’s it, positive result,” Hincapie told Movistar+, clearly frustrated.

“Yes, clearly the referee made a mistake. It was a very clear penalty, but we continue, and we hope they go our way on other occasions.”

Viktor Gyokeres: ‘It will be different in the second leg’

Forward Viktor Gyokeres also spoke to the media after the game, telling TNT Sports that they did well in the first half but lost control in the second.

“I think in think in the first half, we controlled the game quite well, and we had a few good opportunities to score. We managed to score one, to get the goal, and then in the second half they started much better. They got a goal eventually, and towards the end we got a few ok chances, but it’s a tough game, we knew it would be a tough place to come.”

He too was a little miffed at the decision not to give Eze a penalty.

“I didn’t see theirs, so difficult to say, but yeah, it’s football. I don’t know why they turned [Eze’s appeal] down, it looks like there’s contact, but it’s their decision.”

In terms of Arsenal’s response to Atletico Madrid’s strong start in the second half, Gyokeres felt that the Emirates will be a different game.

“Yeah, it was not very easy. Of course they have the crowd here. We always try to play and get the momentum back that we had in the first half, and got it back a bit late on, but it’s a tough second half. We know it will be different with our fans in the second leg, and we know we have to do our job, be at our best, and it’s going to be a good game at home.”

The second leg kicks off at 21:00 CEST in London next Tuesday. Los Colchoneros are looking to make their fourth ever final, while both sides are seeking their first ever victory in the competition.

With Roy Hodgson completing what will surely be his managerial swansong at Bristol City and it being highly likely the club is going to confirm James Ellis, the former Arsenal technical director, as sporting director, fan attention will now switch to who the next head coach will be.

Social media has been awash with suggested names of who will step into Gerhard Struber's shoes, with some more realistic than others.

Whoever it is they, alongside Ellis, are going to have an extremely busy summer when it comes to contract negotiations with key players - Jason Knight, Max Bird and Ross McCrorie's current deals expire next year - and signing, by my reckoning, at least six Championship-ready players to have a squad that has a realistic chance of mounting a play-off challenge.

One name that has been linked by often reliable sources is former England and Liverpool midfielder Steve Gerrard.

Gerrard would be a name and if owner Steve Lansdown makes this choice he will be hoping the Liverpudlian can bring the club success in the same way his former England team-mate Frank Lampard has done at Coventry.

That is a very simplistic view but one that I do not believe will be tested as I understand Gerrard would prefer to remain in the north west, with the now open Burnley manager role being a predictable option.

While working in Saudi Arabia, Gerrard had former Bristol City manager Dean Holden as his assistant. If he did get the job I wonder if he would want Holden on his staff here which would mean tempting the likeable northerner away from his current role of assistant manager at Hull City?

The next contender who has been publicly linked with the role and described it as "flattering" is current Portsmouth boss John Mousinho.

He's been in charge at Fratton Park for just over three years having played almost 500 league games before ending his career at Oxford United as a player-coach and also serving for a short period as chairman of the PFA.

It was a big leap of faith by Portsmouth to give him the job of head coach but it proved a wise choice as he took them back to the Championship after a 12 year absence.

In the two seasons they have competed at this level he has kept them up with limited resources. That will sit well with Lansdown and whilst he could be a choice that would be acceptable to some others will say it lacks ambition.

When Ellis was first mentioned as a sporting director candidate a few weeks ago it was not long before the name of Luton boss Jack Wilshere entered my thoughts as a contender due to the Arsenal connection while for my final choice I am going to put forward Mark Robins, currently boss at Stoke City.

Based on past media comment, City owner Lansdown has always coveted the former Coventry boss, who took the now Premier League bound Sky Blues from League Two to two top-six finishes in the Championship.

He might be Lansdown's choice, but for me that ship has passed.

Season tickets for 2026-27 went on sale this week. I think a fair few fans will be holding back on renewing until they see who the club appoint and whether they financially back their new team.

You can hear more from David Pottier on the Forever Bristol City podcast.

Former Hearts captain Gary Mackay feels Monday's home game against Rangers is one of the biggest in the club's history.

The Edinburgh club are three points ahead of Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership heading into the showdown with third-placed Rangers, who lie four adrift of the summit.

Hearts have topped the table for much of the season and have just four games left of their mission to win their first top flight-title since 1960.

After last weekend's Edinburgh derby win over Hibernian Mackay, and many other Hearts fans, feel Monday's game is their biggest in a long time.

"There's a gentleman I know, for example, who attended his 205th Edinburgh derby on Sunday," Mackay said.

"He's 78, 79 now, and he texted me after the game to say that Monday is as big a game as he's seen since 1960.

"Everybody's got their own thoughts and their own memories of why Monday is so important."

The 62-year-old was playing for Hearts last time they got close to a top-flight title, missing out to Celtic on the final day in 1986.

And while he knows the pressure is on, he is urging supporters to get behind the team regardless of the scoreline during Monday night's match.

"I don't think any of us at this time last year thought we were going to be where we are and I think that's why the emotions are so high," Mackay added.

"It's important we get rid of any kind of negativity – it doesn't matter where we are in the 10th minute, or the 70th minute come Monday, we need to be right behind the team from the first minute to the last, because if any of us supporters had thought last year that we would be talking like this with four games to go, we would have thought that there was something wrong with us.

"The players and management have given us a season that is up there with one of the best I've ever had as a Hearts supporter, and it's up to us to repay them by getting right behind them and making sure we give them the best chance possible to get the outcome we all want."

The Pittsburgh Penguins' Big Three of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang has been a huge part of the team's success with three Stanley Cup championships and nearly 4,000 games together.

But Malkin's contract is up and he can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Could this be the end of the Big Three?

Malkin has indicated a desire to return and general manager Kyle Dubas put off the decision until the offseason, which has arrived for the Penguins after their 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 6.

He certainly can still play. He had 61 points in 56 games during the regular season, but he did miss 26 games with injury and a five-game suspension. A one-year deal would be a good compromise for the soon-to-be 40-year-old.

Crosby has one year left on his contract at $8.7 million, meaning he can sign an extension as early as July 1. Letang has two more years at $6.1 million. Though Letang's play appears to have slipped a bit, he did score the winning goals in Games 4 and 5.

The Penguins have more decisions to make than just on Malkin.

Anthony Mantha is also an unrestricted free agent. He scored 33 goals in the regular season on a one-year, $2.5 million contract but had only one point in six games in the playoffs.

Connor Dewar, Noel Acciari, Kevin Hayes, Connor Clifton and Ryan Shea are also pending UFAs.

So is goalie Stuart Skinner, who arrived this season in a trade. But the Penguins have to re-sign Arturs Silovs, who replaced Skinner (three losses) and won two playoff games and pushed Game 6 to overtime.

The Penguins also have goalie prospect Sergei Murashov, 22, in the American Hockey League. Could they let Skinner walk to give Murashov a chance for promotion?

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Evgeni Malkin future among Penguins' offseason decisions

One of the Carolina Panthers' top draft picks may be rekindling some fond memories for Luke Kuechly.

On this week's episode his podcast JJ and Luke, the franchise great—along with co-host and longtime long snapper JJ Jansen—discussed the top of the Panthers' 2026 NFL Draft Class. When breaking down second-round pick and defensive lineman Lee Hunter, Kuechly recalled the table-setters Carolina nabbed back in 2013.

"The guys on Texas Tech—[David] Bailey the edge rusher and, obviously, Jacob Rodriguez—those guys would not have the success that they did without having a really good inside guy," he stated of Hunter. "And my second year in Carolina, we drafted Star Lotulelei in the first round and Kawann Short in the second round.

"And Thomas [Davis] and I . . . Al Holcomb, our linebacker coach, said, 'Hey you two better walk into [general manager] Dave Gettleman's office and say thank you.'"

Kuechly, with the help of Lotulelei and Short, captured the AP Defensive Player of the Year honors that very season. As a unit, the defense allowed the second-fewest yards per game (301.3) and amassed a league-leading 60 sacks while helping push the Panthers to an NFC South title.

Carolina is probably hoping that Hunter can have a similar effect on his teammates. The 6-foot-3, 318-pounder was named a first-team All-American in 2025, where he registered 26 pressures and 25 stops.

So, hopefully for the Panthers, linebackers Devin Lloyd and Trevin Wallace will eventually go thank general manager Dan Morgan.

For Kuechly's full thoughts on Hunter, as well as first-round pick Monroe Freeling, take a listen down below . . .

Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.

This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Luke Kuechly gives thoughts on Panthers' class

The Professional Women's Hockey League kicks off its postseason on Thursday, April 30, with the No. 2 seed Boston Fleet traveling to the No. 4 Ottawa Charge.

Why is the No. 2 seed playing the No. 4 seed? Because in the PWHL, the top seed earns the right to pick its opponent for the first round of the playoffs. The No. 1-seeded Montréal Victoire chose to play the two-time defending league champion Minnesota Frost, the No. 3 seed.

The Victoire are in the playoffs for the third straight season, finishing first for a second consecutive year. This season, the Victoire won all four games in their head-to-head season series against the Frost (13-5-9), including two overtime victories. They went 3-1 against the Charge (9-1-12).

The two semifinal series are best of five with the two winners advancing to the best-of-five finals to play for the Walter Cup. The Minnesota Frost beat the Ottawa Charge in four games for the Cup last season.

Here is the lowdown on each playoff team and the schedule:

No. 1 Montréal Victoire (16-2-6)

Ann-Renée Desbiens, who won Goaltender of the Year last season, has a league-leading 19 victories, 1.11 goals against average and .955 save percentage. Abby Roque, who leads Montreal in scoring with 22 points, is in her first season with the club after spending two years with the New York Sirens. It is the Victoire's third season in the playoffs; they were also the No. 1 seed last season and got beat in the semifinals.

No. 2 Boston Fleet (16-4-5) 

Aerin Frankel, who was the goaltender for Team USA during the 2026 Winter Olympics, leads the Fleet with 19 victories, a 1.17 goals against average and .953 save percentage. Speaking of Olympic heroes, Megan Keller, who scored the winning goal in overtime in the gold medal game, has 18 points for the Fleet this season. Boston reached the Walter Cup Finals in its inaugural 2023–24 season, losing a five‑game series to Minnesota.

No. 3 Minnesota Frost (13-5-9)

The Frost have won back-to-back titles as the No. 4 seed coming into the playoffs. Minnesota has the league's three top scorers in Kelly Pannek (33 points), Taylor Heise (30) and Britta Curl-Salemme (29). Goalie Maddie Rooney has a .921 save percentage and 2.04 goals against average.

No. 4 Ottawa Charge  (9-1-12)

The Charge are the only team in the playoffs with a losing record. Eight of their nine victories came in overtime. Brianne Jenner, the fourth leading scorer in the league, leads Ottawa with 26 points. Rebecca Leslie is second in the league in goals with 14.

PWHL playoff schedule (first seven games)

Thursday, April 30

• Game 1: Ottawa at Boston (Tsongas Center) at 7 p.m. ET

Saturday, May 2

• Game 1: Minnesota at Montréal (Place Bell) at 2 p.m. ET
• Game 2: Ottawa at Boston (Tsongas Center) at 7 p.m. ET

Tuesday, May 5

• Game 2: Minnesota at Montréal (Place Bell) at 7 p.m. ET

Thursday, May 7, 2026

• Game 3: Montréal at Minnesota (Grand Casino Arena) at 7 p.m. ET*

Friday, May 8, 2026

• Game 3: Boston at Ottawa (Canadian Tire Centre) at 7 p.m. ET

Sunday, May 10, 2026

• Game 4: Boston at Ottawa (Canadian Tire Centre) at 3 p.m. ET**

*subject to change pending NHL playoff scheduling

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to know about the PWHL playoffs: Matchups, top players, schedule

The Pittsburgh Steelers stunned the NFL world following their decision to place a rare unrestricted free-agent tender on Aaron Rodgers, leaving many fans wondering if there was more to the situation than meets the eye. Well, Art Rooney II has explained why the Steelers decided to use the UFA tender in the first place.

Making a special appearance on The Insiders from NFL Network, Rooney attempted to make sense of the Steelers' decision to place the UFA tender on Rodgers — and it's all about compensatory draft picks.

"The main thing that the tender gives us is potential for a comp pick if Aaron would choose to go to another team," Rooney said. "We don't expect that, but by that same token, you never know. It's just something that we had an opportunity to protect, if needed. The deadline was Monday. So, if we were going to do it, we needed to pull the trigger on Monday. We alerted Aaron and his representative that we were going to do it. Not a real big deal."

“Even though I thought it probably would have been concluded by now, I think we will come to a conclusion here in the next few weeks."

Steelers president Art Rooney II discussed Aaron Rodgers’ decision, draft week in Pittsburgh and more on The Insiders @nflnetworkpic.twitter.com/KyHuS5Vk2V

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 29, 2026

Per the terms of the UFA tender, the Steelers will have exclusive rights to negotiate with Rodgers if he doesn't sign with another team by July 22. He would also be able to accept a 10% raise based on his 2025 salary, which would net him $15 million in 2026.

For up-to-date Steelers coverage, including any offseason moves, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.

This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers UFA tender explained by Art Rooney

Conference tournament time is upon us in the realm of men’s college lacrosse, on the eve of Sunday’s unveiling of the 18-team NCAA tournament field. In all, 11 Division I conferences will crown a champion by the conclusion of the weekend, with 10 of those receiving automatic bids to the NCAA tourney.

For most of the weekend’s participants the assignment is simple – win or go home. But there are eight at-large spots in the field as well, and while a significant percentage of those will go to members of that 11th conference (more on that below), there is potential for a bid thief or two to make an already crowded at-large pool even more unwieldy.

Here’s a look at the most important of the conference tournaments, and how their results might affect the final NCAA field.

ACC lacrosse tournament

Location/TV: Charlotte, N.C., ACC Network

Semifinals

Friday, May 1

No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 4 Virginia, 5 p.m. ET

No. 2 North Carolina vs. No. 3 Syracuse, 8 p.m. ET

Championship

Sunday, May 3

Semifinal winners, noon ET

Only five current members of the ACC sponsor the sport, one fewer than the six required for an automatic bid. The conference will nonetheless be well represented in the tournament again, likely to occupy at least half of the eight at-large spots. The participants in this weekend’s event are playing primarily for seeding, although Notre Dame is almost certainly going to be slotted into the overall top position win or lose. Syracuse has a chance to solidify a top-four seed, in theory earning a less dangerous opponent for the round of 16, while North Carolina is unlikely to slip any lower than No. 4 even with a loss to the Orange. Virginia, the only team in the country to own a regular-season win against the Fighting Irish, could secure a top-eight seed and thus a first-round home game if the Cavaliers can knock off Notre Dame for a second time.

And then there’s Duke. The Blue Devils were winless in the conference and had already been eliminated from the ACC tournament prior to last weekend, but their upset of North Carolina in their regular-season finale has them clinging to life in the at-large discussion. They can’t help themselves this weekend, so they must hope that form holds in the other leagues. It’s fair to say Duke fans will have more than casual interest in the results of these next few tournaments.

Ivy League lacrosse tournament

Location/TV: Ithaca, N.Y., ESPNU

Semifinals

Friday, May 1

No. 1 Cornell vs. No. 4 Harvard, 4 p.m. ET

No. 2 Princeton vs. No. 3 Yale, 6:30 p.m. ET

Championship

Sunday, May 3

Semifinal winners, 1 p.m. ET

In this sport, the Ivy is a power conference that frequently has multiple representatives in the NCAA field. There will be at least two this season, with Princeton and Cornell likely to be first-round hosts. Harvard, with a top-tier win against Syracuse on its resume, has a decent at-large case but could use another victory to ease any Sunday anxiety. Yale could enter the discussion with a semifinal win as well but probably needs to win the tournament to claim the league’s automatic spot.

Big Ten lacrosse tournament

Location/TV: Piscataway, N.J., Big Ten Network

Semifinals

Thursday, April 30

No. 1 Johns Hopkins vs. No. 5 Michigan, 3 p.m. ET

No. 2 Penn State vs. No. 3 Maryland, 6 p.m. ET

Championship

Saturday, May 2

Semifinal winners, noon ET

Here’s where things could get complicated for teams on the edge of the bubble. Johns Hopkins, which secured the top seed by upending archrival Maryland in its final regular-season contest, is probably safe even without the automatic bid. The Penn State-Maryland winner will also help its cause, but things could get quite dicey for the loser of that game. The Nittany Lions could be a particularly interesting puzzle for the committee, with a solid collection of top-20 RPI wins but three troublesome losses. Michigan, which sent fringe bubble contender Ohio State packing in the Big Ten quarterfinal round last weekend, is the lone team in this quartet with potential to be a true bid stealer.

Atlantic 10 lacrosse tournament

Semifinals

Thursday, April 30

No. 1 Richmond vs. No. 4 Massachusetts, 4 p.m. ET

No. 2 High Point vs. No. 3 Saint Joseph’s, 7 p.m. ET

Championship

Saturday, May 2

Semifinal winners, noon ET

The A-10 will be a multi-bid conference if and only if a team other than Richmond wins the tournament. Bubble watchers from Durham, North Carolina, to Cambridge, Massachusetts., and many points in between will be hoping that won’t be the case, but there are a couple other points of interest in this tournament that could have a trickle-down impact on the at-large and seeding picture. The committee does not use RPI itself as a selection criterion, but it does use top-20 RPI wins as a metric. As of last weekend, Saint Joe’s sat at No. 21, and should the Hawks end up in the top 20 they’d be considered a quality win for opponents that defeated them in the regular season, a list that includes Duke.

Other tournaments of note

Big East lacrosse tournament

Semifinals

Thursday, April 30

No. 1 Georgetown vs. No. 4 Denver, 4:30 p.m. ET

No. 2 Providence vs. No. 3 Villanova, 7:30 p.m. ET

Championship

Saturday, May 2

Semifinal winners, 2 p.m. ET, ESPNU

Patriot League lacrosse tournament

Location/TV: West Point, N.Y., CBS Sports Network

Semifinals

Friday, May 1

No. 1 Army vs. No. 6 Lehigh, 4 p.m. ET

No. 2 Loyola (Md.) vs. No. 5 Colgate, 7:30 p.m. ET

Championship

Sunday, May 3

Semifinal winners, noon ET

Georgetown and Army would at least be considered as at-large candidates should either or both fail to claim their league’s auto bid. But realistically both would be on the outside. While the Hoyas have owned the Big East tourney in recent years, the Patriot League is often quite chaotic, as we’ve already seen with Lehigh’s wild overtime triumph at third-seeded Boston University Tuesday night.

Other one-bid leagues

America East in Albany, N.Y

Top seed: UAlbany.

Atlantic Sun in Jacksonville, Fla.

Top seed: Jacksonville.

Coastal Athletic in Towson, Md.

Top seed: Towson

MAAC in Loudenville, N.Y.

Top seed: Siena.

Northeast Conference in Moon Township, Pa.

Top seed: Robert Morris.

Four of these five league champs figure to be bound for one of two play-in games. Towson has the best RPI and schedule strength metrics among this group and is the most likely to be sent directly to the round of 16, as long as the Tigers continue to take care of business in a conference they’ve dominated for the past three seasons.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College lacrosse conference tournaments to shape NCAA bracket

With one stroke of the pen, both George Pickens and the Dallas Cowboys feel like they've won. Now that the franchise tag is official, the team keeps their dynamic duo at WR together for another year. For Pickens, the mission is clear: ball out in 2026 and reap even more rewards in 2027. He's already earned a giant raise playing on the tag this season; another dynamite year could easily jack up his price tag next offseason by $10 million.

The reality of the new Dallas defense is sinking in. In today's headlines, we hear more about the off-the-charts football IQ of safety Caleb Downs, and one of the franchise greats says he's the one who's honored by comparisons to the future star. Yep, it's the start of something special for Christian Parker's unit, and a look at the newcomers to the unit is starting to paint a fuller picture of what fans (and opposing offenses) can expect.

Elsewhere, the club may have sent a message on draft weekend that has Tyler Guyton breathing easier, we learn Dee Winters wasn't the linebacker Dallas really wanted to trade for, and Tony Romo falls short in his latest bid at winning it all.

Looking around the league, could Trevon Diggs find a home with the Jets? The Ravens may already be believers in Diego Pavia, news of a second surgery for Bo Nix has the Broncos quarterback in the spotlight, and one of the NFL's good guys- four-time All-Pro and three-time Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee Justin Simmons- calls it a career 10 years to the day after he was drafted.

Dallas Cowboys Top Headlines

• Cowboys WR George Pickens makes it official, signs franchise tag :: Cowboys Wire (Link)
• Why it benefits both George Pickens & the Cowboys to play under the franchise tag :: Yahoo Sports (Link)
• Caleb Downs 'is a football savant'; Cowboys exec gushes about new star :: Cowboys Wire (Link)
• Darren Woodson "honored" with the Caleb Downs comparisons :: DallasCowboys.com (Link)
• Got that dog in 'em? Cowboys look to build defensive roster of bullies :: Cowboys Wire (Link)
• How Cowboys’ draft picks offer insight into Christian Parker’s defensive vision :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Link)
• Telling Tale: 5 of the Cowboys’ 2025 Def starters remain unemployed :: Cowboys Wire (Link)
• One Dallas Cowboys player who just dodged a major draft-day bullet :: SI.com (Link)
• Cowboys undrafted rookie free agents: Who is most likely to find a roster spot? :: The Athletic (Link)
• Report: Cowboys tried to trade for Texans' Pro Bowl LB before Dee Winters deal :: Cowboys Wire (Link)
• 3 burning questions hanging over Cowboys as offseason workouts begin :: Cowboys Wire (Link)
• Ex-Cowboys QB Tony Romo fails to advance in U.S. Open qualifying :: ESPN (Link)

Updates from Free Agency & 2026 Rookie Class

• Best NFL team fits for notable remaining free agents: Deebo Samuel to Chargers? Trevon Diggs to Jets? :: NFL.com (Link)
• Jesse Minter: Diego Pavia was a “force multiplier” at Vanderbilt, will come in with a clean slate :: ProFootballTalk (Link)
• Brandon Aiyuk remains in limbo. How did we get here, and what comes next? :: The Athletic (Link)

News & Headlines from Around the NFL

• 'My heart, my home, my story': All-Pro safety Justin Simmons announces retirement from NFL, reflects on Broncos' tenure :: DenverBroncos.com (Link)
• NFL Network: Texans, LB Azeez Al-Shaair agree to terms on three-year, $54 million extension :: NFL.com (Link)
• Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has a 2nd procedure on his surgically-repaired right ankle :: Denver7 (Link)

Todd is on X at @ToddBrock24f7. Also, follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!

This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys News: George Pickens' big bet; Tony Romo bombs U.S. Open bid

Texas A&M's spring practice season ended earlier this month after the annual Maroon & White Game took place on April 18, and for third-year head coach Mike Elko, small steps were accomplished, but losing star senior linebacker Daymion Sanford to a lower-leg injury was certainly a blow to an Aggie defense that now includes several key additions from the transfer portal.

Still, the return of starting quarterback Marcel Reed, who threw for a career-high 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns last season, will, as I've now stated ad nauseam, dictate how far the Aggies go, including a potential return to the College Football Playoff for the second straight season.

Still, Reed's 12 interceptions, including eight against Power 4 programs, will never be good enough heading into the fall, especially after a record 10 players were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, Texas A&M's wide receiver rotation, now featuring former Alabama wideout Isaiah Horton, looks like the team's predominant strength, only if the newly formed offensive line holds up.

With plenty of dives or deeper dives into Texas A&M's roster, and the Aggies' chances of making it back to the CFP, nationally, Mike Elko's 2026 roster is receiving enough respect to be positioned in the preseason top 10 in nearly every recently released post-spring season ranking, now including CBS Sports' updated Top 25. Coming in at No. 8, writer Brandon Marcello is confident in the new pieces on offense and defense.

"Texas A&M had a terrific offseason in the NFL Draft, which is good and bad news after an 11-win season and CFP appearance. The Aggies' returning production is near the bottom of the SEC, but a slew of transfers, led by former Alabama receiver Isaiah Horton, has them primed for another run in the top half of the SEC. Quarterback Marcel Reed returns, which is a big boost as they break in new pieces. The best news out of the spring? The defense looked elite. Northwestern transfer Anto Saka led a pass rush that was described as unblockable. Senior linebacker and captain Daymion Sanford, the designated signal man on the field, was injured in the spring game (leg) and is expected to miss at least a portion of the season."

Anto Saka's performance in the Maroon & White Game was highly underrated, given his one sack, but, as Marcello stated, looked unblockable for most of the afternoon, and was equally impactful as a run defender.

Mike Elko's track record as one of the top defensive playcallers should continue, and while new OC Holmon Wiggins will call plays for the first time in his career, having a veteran quarterback and elite playmakers at his disposal should help his transition.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.

This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M comes in at No. 8 in CBS Sports' post-spring rankings

Liverpool injury update: Salah set for return before season’s end

There is a particular rhythm to a football season’s closing weeks, where fatigue and fate begin to intertwine. For Mohamed Salah and Liverpool, that rhythm was briefly disrupted by concern, then steadied by reassurance.

Salah’s recent injury, sustained during a 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace, initially carried the kind of ominous undertone that can derail ambitions. The forward pulled up clutching his hamstring, a familiar and unwelcome sight in modern football’s relentless calendar. Yet, as confirmed in the original source, Liverpool have since clarified that the issue is only a minor muscle injury.

A club statement offered measured optimism: “Liverpool FC can confirm Mohamed Salah is expected to be available to play again before the end of this season.” It is the sort of update that does not erase anxiety entirely, but it restores belief. In a campaign defined by tight margins and shifting momentum, Salah’s presence remains central.

Impact on Liverpool’s top five ambitions

Liverpool’s push for a top-five finish, and with it UEFA Champions League qualification, has been shaped by both resilience and inconsistency. Injuries have played their part, and Salah’s absence, even temporarily, threatens to tip the balance.

Manager Arne Slot has been cautious in his assessment. “We simply don’t know but what we do know is the season is in four weeks over,” he said after the match. His tone reflects a broader reality. There is little time left for recovery, and every fixture carries weight.

Liverpool face Manchester United at Old Trafford, followed by a demanding run that includes Chelsea FC and Aston Villa. Salah is expected to miss the immediate fixtures, but his projected return for the final match against Brentford FC could prove decisive.

In elite football, timing is everything. A player returning too early risks aggravation. Too late, and the opportunity has passed. Liverpool’s medical team appear to be walking that line with care.

Recovery timeline and Slot’s measured approach

Salah’s durability has long been one of his defining traits. Rarely absent, consistently decisive, he has built a reputation on both physical conditioning and mental resilience. Slot acknowledged this, noting: “What I do know about Mo is throughout all of these years he has taken such good care of his body that he will have the minimum time required to recover from an injury.”

This is not mere rhetoric. Salah’s professionalism is widely recognised, and it underpins Liverpool’s confidence in his swift return. The injury, while disruptive, has not altered the broader expectation that he will feature again before the season concludes.

There is also a longer view at play. With Salah set to depart Liverpool in the summer, every remaining appearance carries added significance. Each match becomes part of a closing chapter that has defined an era at the club.

Final fixtures could shape Salah’s Liverpool farewell

Football has a way of scripting its own endings. For Salah, the possibility of returning in time for Liverpool’s final fixture offers a narrative rich with meaning. A last appearance, potentially decisive, would align with the standards he has set since arriving at Anfield.

The original source notes that Salah is also expected to lead Egypt at the upcoming World Cup, underlining the relatively minor nature of the injury. It is a reminder that while club priorities dominate the present, the international stage looms just beyond.

For Liverpool, the equation is straightforward. They need points, composure, and, ideally, their talisman fit and firing. Salah’s injury may have interrupted the flow, but it has not rewritten the script.

As the season edges towards its conclusion, Liverpool remain in contention, and Salah remains central to their hopes. His return, whenever it comes, will not just be about fitness. It will be about timing, influence, and perhaps one final contribution to a story that has already delivered so much.

Rayan Cherki and Nico O’Reilly have both been nominated for April’s Premier League Player of the Month award.

The pair enjoyed a fantastic month, both playing in all three victories that saw City end April three points off the top of the table with a game in hand.

We began with a 3-0 victory at Chelsea with both playing significant roles in a crucial win at Stamford Bridge.

They combined for the vital opener as Cherki’s pinpoint cross picked out O’Reilly to emphatically head home in front of the City fans.

Cherki then provided the assist for Marc Guehi’s second as he skipped past three challenges before sliding in the City defender to slam home.

The Frenchman was then on-target in our 2-1 win over title rivals Arsenal with a wonderful individual strike.

VOTE FOR CHERKI OR O’REILLY HERE

Cherki slalomed through Gunners challenges before a sidefoot finish into the bottom corner to give us an early lead.

Erling Haaland grabbed a second half winner with O’Reilly heavily involved – picking up the ball from Gianliugi Donnarumma and later in the move providing the cross that made its way to the striker.

And we rounded off the month with a 1-0 win at Burnley that moved us top with both players starting the victory at Turf Moor.

You can vote for one of the pair here until 12:00 (UK) on Monday 4 Mary, with the winner to be announced at 11:00 (UK) on Friday 8 May.

Cherki and O’Reilly are up against Jarrod Bowen, Morgan Gibbs-White, Pascal Gross, Konstantinos Mavrapanos, Noah Okafor and Alex Scott.

Q: Ira, you and everyone who works for the Heat are so quick to point to their developmental success. But if they’re so good at identifying prospects, then how did they let Jamal Cain get away? He’s in the playoffs and they’re not. – Brad.

A: (First, I do not work for the Heat, I just take their free drinks and cookies at halftime.) As for the success Jamal Cain is having with the Magic this postseason, it simply is a universal NBA story that not every developmental success story becomes your own success story. The Magic, for example,  started the season with a pair of former Heat prospects on their roster on two-way contracts, in Jamal Cain and Orlando Robinson. Jamal paid off; Orlando didn’t. But also understand that there is a limit of three two-way players at a time per team (previously two) and among those the Heat have had on two-way deals since Jamal have been Dru Smith, Keshad Johnson and Myron Gardner. And the Heat certainly have gotten plenty right over the years in the two-way process, including Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Derrick Jones Jr. and Caleb Martin.

Related Articles

• Submit your “Ask Ira” question here!

Q: Ira, do you see the Heat keeping Keshad Johnson? He is obviously athletic, as evidenced by him winning the slam-duck contest this year. He is what the Heat need as far as being a young, athletic wing who demonstrates good rebounding. Do you see any future development with him?  – Barry, Deerfield Beach.

A: I would not overstate winning the NBA All-Star Weekend dunk contest, considering Matt McClung has won the dunk contest three times and has yet to gain an NBA foothold. That said, at the veteran minimum, a team could do far worse than Keshad Johnson as a 13th, 14th or 15th man. The presumption is the Heat bypass a qualifying offer, moving him from restricted to unrestricted free agent, and then offer to bring him back at the veteran minimum. If he can get more elsewhere, then the Heat can look at it as helping foster that career of yet another undrafted developmental project.

Q: A lot of people seem to think an overhaul is just a switch you flip, as if anyone can just “overhaul” their team and make it better. But they seem to forget that you’d need other teams to play along. Flipping your players for high first-round picks isn’t just something you can do when you decide to. Perhaps we fans need to understand that there’s not always a move out there that makes your team better. – Aram, Raleigh, N.C.

A: This is why there is such a debate about the lottery, because it is the lone makeover mechanism you totally can control, unlike needing a trade partner or cap space or player interest in free agency. And it’s also a matter of, as you cite, what is available for a potential makeover. In the Heat’s case, there apparently were not first-round picks available for Andrew Wiggins and Norman Powell at the trade deadline. So at some point, the return is so minimal as to not even be makeover productive.

Sabastian Sawe, the first athlete to officially break the two-hour barrier in a marathon, has been welcomed home to Kenya with a hero’s reception, including a water cannon salute for his arriving aircraft.

The record-breaker was subsequently awarded $61,000 (£45,000) and a new car by the president.

Mr Sawe’s return on Wednesday saw him greeted by his parents and Sports Minister Salim Mvurya, who lauded the runner’s achievement at the London Marathon as "a win for Kenya."

On Thursday, President William Ruto hosted a formal ceremony, describing Mr Sawe’s victory as "a defining moment in the history of human endurance."

During the event, Mr Sawe presented President Ruto with an autographed Adidas Adizero shoe, worn during Sunday’s race, along with a signed photograph commemorating his world record moment.

Mr Sawe made history on Sunday by completing the marathon in an astonishing 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds, shaving 65 seconds off the previous men’s world record.

Upon his arrival at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, he expressed his pride at having "made a great achievement in life" and vowed to "try and lower the record further."

The athlete was adorned with a traditional wreath of twigs, symbolising victory, as traditional dancers celebrated his return. He was then escorted into a luxury government vehicle, part of the "heroic welcome" orchestrated by the sports minister.

His parents shared their long-held belief in their son’s destiny for greatness. His mother, Emily Sawe, recalled his childhood speed: "He would run too fast. So, I would say to myself, this boy will shine for me one day."

His father, Simion Kiplagat Sawe, recounted the tension of watching Sunday’s race due to a poor television signal.

"The moment my son pulled in front, I walked out and didn’t see him finish the race. I watched the replay afterwards. I was so happy, extremely happy. We screamed so much that now it is hard to swallow anything," he said.

Sawe’s introduction to professional running came through his uncle, Abraham Chepkirwok, an 800-metre Olympian for Uganda at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Having won the Valencia Marathon in 2024 with a time of 2:02:05, Sawe entered Sunday’s London race as the defending champion.

His father affirmed his son’s unwavering determination, stating: "Even now, he still says that record was not enough; he wants to lower it further."

The Kentucky Derby is often called "the fastest two minutes in sports." And for good reason.

Throughout the race's 151-year history, the winning times over the 1 1/4 mile track at Churchill Downs have almost always been just a shade over two minutes. No matter the track conditions or the weather, every single time since 1949, the Kentucky Derby champion has recorded a time of between 1:59 and 2:05.

So which horses have been the best of the best throughout the Derby's storied past?

Here's the list of the fastest times in Kentucky Derby history.

Kentucky Derby fastest times

Race winners, times from TwinSpires.com

10. Fusaichi Pegasus, 2:01.12 (2000)

The son of famed sprint horse Mr. Prospector blazed to victory as the favorite in Y2K, never won another race and was sold for a record stud fee of $70 million.

9. Mandaloun*, 2:01.10 (2021)

In a thrilling finish, Medina Spirit edged Mandaloun at the finish line with a time of 2:01.02. However, the Bob Baffert-trained horse was later disqualified for a positive drug test, giving Mandaloun the victory (and Baffert a suspension).

8. Grindstone, 2:01.06 (1996)

Longshot Grindstone edged favorite Unbridled's Song, but was forced to retire from racing five days later due to a bone chip in his knee.

7. Authentic, 2:00.61 (2020)

In the first-ever Kentucky Derby run in September, Authentic gave trainer Bob Baffert his record-tying sixth Derby win. Jockey John Velazquez won his third.

6. Proud Clarion, 2:00.6 (1967)

A 30-1 longshot, Proud Clarion was one of the most unlikely Derby winners, but on this day he found another gear.

5. Decidedly, 2:00.4 (1962)

Decidedly broke 1941 Triple Crown winner Whirlaway's Kentucky Derby record in becoming the first horse to go under 2:01.

4. Spend A Buck, 2:00.2 (1985)

Oh what could have been ... Spend A Buck romped to victory in a hair more than two minutes at Churchill Downs. However, owner Dennis Diaz chose to skip the Preakness and the Belmont in order to pursue a $2 million bonus for winning the Jersey Derby. Which he did.

3. Northern Dancer, 2:00.0 (1964)

The undersized bay colt became the first Kentucky Derby winner to cover the 1 1/4-mile track in two minutes flat. He went on to win the Preakness, but fell short of the Triple Crown when he ran out of steam down the stretch in the Belmont and finished third.

2. Monarchos, 1:59.97 (2001)

With one of the great finishing kicks of all time, Monarchos stormed back from 13th place at the half-mile mark to crack the two-minute barrier and win by nearly five lengths.

1A. Sham*, 1:59.8 (1973)

The second-fastest time in Kentucky Derby history didn't earn Sham the blanket of roses. That's because he had the unfortunate luck of having to race against the greatest Thoroughbred in American history. While you won't see Sham listed among the 10 fastest Derby winners, he gets his own entry here (with a nod to the 1A worn by that year's winner).

1. Secretariat, 1:59.4 (1973)

The legendary "Big Red" provided perhaps the first real showing of his true greatness by coming from behind over the final furlong to set a track record that still stands at Churchill Downs. He did the same thing at Pimlico with a record-setting performance in the Preakness, and then displayed his complete dominance with a majestic 31-length victory at the Belmont to secure the Triple Crown.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The 10 fastest times in Kentucky Derby history

Kilmarnock boss Neil McCann has been speaking to the media as his side prepare for Saturday's visit of Dundee United.

Here are the main points:

• McCann admits "it was a strange dressing room" after the 1-0 defeat to Aberdeen last weekend because his side had "performed really, really well" despite conceding in the opening minute for the third successive away game.
• Although pleased with the performance, McCann stresses "if you don't take the chances and you don't get a bit of luck then you'll get nothing from the game".
• The Killie boss says it is "infuriating" to have lost to an early goal again, adding: "It was from a throw-in, a wicked deflection thrown into the mix as well. Other than that, Max Stryek had one proper save [to make] from a header. We've just got to turn that performance into points."
• The Rugby Park side have been working on their finishing after "not being clinical enough" at Pittodrie, where they hit the woodwork three times.
• There was "frustration and anger" among the squad after the defeat but McCann says: "I've never had to work hard in picking them up, I think they're believing in how they're playing. We're at the stage of the season where it's really important we don't let our confidence go."
• With Killie in the relegation play-off spot, McCann stresses survival is "completely down to us".
• He praised goalkeeper Max Stryjek, who made his comeback at Pittodire and has "had to be patient" in his return from heart surgery.
• Moldva winger Nicky Clescenco was "brilliant" on his first start for the club after taking time to adapt to Scottish football since signing in January. "I think he's really been caught unaware at the pace of our game here and that's no slight on him," says McCann. "But finally I just felt that he was due a chance to go and play and he was exceptional, he showed exactly what to bring on here in terms of the forward play."
• McCann insists Saturday's visitors won't "turn the engine off" despite being safe from relegation: "They're on the back of a really big derby win, I don't see any dip in Dundee United."
• He believes his side have been "so hard done by in terms of the punishment at this level" and adds: "Football management is not easy, being a football player is not easy, but we've got to try and make that as easy as possible for the boys in terms of the information we've given them. And I think they know that they're going into games feeling like they can win every game, it's just executing."
• Killie may have to "rely on the squad" this weekend because of injuries, but McCann wouldn't reveal which players were a concern.

The biggest day in horse racing is only three days away, as "the greatest two minutes in sports” prepares to capture the attention of fans across the nation. The 2026 Kentucky Derby will showcase a field of the world’s most talented thoroughbreds, each vying for the coveted first jewel of the Triple Crown.

The packed field for the 152nd Run for the Roses features a race favorite in Renegade starting from the No. 1 post position, a spot that, despite being on the rail, has not produced a Derby champion since 1986. Meanwhile, Six Speed will break from the notoriously challenging No. 17 post, which for decades was considered a tough draw and has not produced a winner.

Right to Party will break from the No. 5 position, long regarded as the most advantageous starting gate at Churchill Downs. With ten past winners emerging from this post, it offers an ideal balance, providing enough flexibility for a horse to avoid early traffic while giving jockeys room to maneuver for a strong position early in the race.

Here’s a look at how the field will line up for this year’s Derby.

More: Kentucky Derby weather: Forecast shows promising conditions at Churchill Downs

2026 Kentucky Derby horse numbers

Here are the starting positions for all the horses participating in the 152nd Kentucky Derby:

• No. 1: Renegade
• No. 2:Albus
• No. 3: Intrepido
• No. 4:Litmus Test
• No. 5:Right to Party
• No. 6:Commandment
• No. 7:Danon Bourbon
• No. 8: So Happy
• No. 9:The Puma
• No. 10:Wonder Dean
• No. 11:Incredibolt
• No. 12:Chief Wallabee
• No. 13:Silent TacticSCRATCHED
• No. 14:Potente
• No. 15:Emerging Market
• No. 16: Pavlovian
• No. 17:Six Speed
• No. 18:Further Ado
• No. 19:Golden Tempo
• No. 20:Fulleffort

When is 2026 Kentucky Derby?

The 152nd Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs is set for Saturday, May 2, 2026. Fans can watch the Kentucky Derby on NBC and USA Network, with streaming options on Peacock.

• Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026
• Time: 2:30 p.m. ET - 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC, USA Network
• Stream: Peacock
• Location: Churchill Downs (Louisville, Kentucky)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 Kentucky Derby horse post positions: Full list for race

Not one, but two Wisconsin Badgers hockey players earned one of the most prestigious honors in college athletics.

Women's hockey superstar Caroline Harvey and men's captain Ben Dexheimer were both named Big Ten Medal of Honor recipients.

This honor goes beyond just what each athlete does in their respective sport, as it also recognizes their excellence off the field.

It stands among the most prestigious honors in college athletics, recognizing excellence both on and off the field.

Proud to celebrate this year’s @bigten Medal of Honor recipients — @badgermhockey’s Ben Dexheimer & @badgerwhockey’s Caroline Harvey. pic.twitter.com/MoZDkfuC3K

— Wisconsin Badgers (@UWBadgers) April 29, 2026

Harvey, the projected No. 1 pick in the upcoming PWHL draft, ended her career in Madison on a high note. The Olympic gold medalist captured yet another National Championship with the Badgers, while Dexheimer helped guide his squad to their first National Championship game since 2010.

Dexheimer, who signed a one-year contract with the Minnesota Wild, had finished out the 2026 season in Iowa with their AHL affiliate.

Wisconsin has arguably the best men's and women's hockey coaching combination in the entire nation. Mark Johnson and Mike Hastings have established themselves as two of the best in the world, and that's exactly why players like Dexheimer and Harvey are able to reach their full potential.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin Ben Dexheimer Caroline Harvey Big Ten Medal of Honor

Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the French Open, and his absence has already changed the feel of the entire event.

The two-time defending champion was forced to withdraw from Roland Garros after picking up a right wrist injury at the Barcelona Open.

With Alcaraz sidelined, Jannik Sinner is now seen as the clear favourite to win his first French Open title. The Spaniard’s withdrawal has also boosted Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev’s hopes of hitting their own career milestones this summer.

Jessica Pegula, currently ranked fifth in the world on the WTA Tour, shared her initial thoughts on Alcaraz’s withdrawal from Roland Garros during a press conference following her fourth-round loss at Rome.

Jessica Pegula says Carlos Alcaraz made the right call by pulling out of Roland Garros

Speaking on the Player’s Box Podcast, Pegula said: “I just feel like he’s so young. I forgot he is 22. I was like just don’t play.

“You have so long ahead of you and you are already so good. Do not risk that.

“It felt like it was the right decision.”

Jennifer Brady, who reached the final of the Australian Open in 2021 and climbed as high as number 13 in the world, also weighed in on Alcaraz’s decision.

PROJECTED Roland Garros Top 5 seeds after Carlos Alcaraz withdrawal

The American shared her view on Alcaraz’s choice to miss this year’s tournament:

“Obviously it was a really tough decision but hopefully it’s the right decision and he rests and recovers as soon as possible.”

The American shared her view on Alcaraz’s choice to miss this year’s tournament:

The event is set to begin on June 15th and will also feature British rising star Jack Draper.

Alcaraz is a two-time defending champion at Queen’s Club, having beaten Jiri Lehecka in last year’s final.

Carlos Alcaraz set to lose 3,000 ATP ranking points during clay-court swing

Alcaraz is expected to drop 3,000 ATP ranking points after pulling out of both the Italian Open and Roland Garros.

The reason for this is that he won both tournaments last year, defeating Jannik Sinner in each final.

If his injury also keeps him out of the grass-court swing, he stands to lose even more ground in the rankings.

He’s currently defending 500 points from his win at Queen’s Club in 2025 and another 1,300 from reaching the Wimbledon final last year.

Read more:

AMD’s “bridge die” tech could be revolutionary for Zen 6 AMD aims to deliver a “latency revolution” with Zen 6, at least according to the leaker “Moore’s Law is Dead”. With a “fundamentally better memory controller” and “bridge die” technology, AMD aims to greatly lower memory latencies and boost inter-CCD communication speeds. This addresses the […]

The post AMD to deliver “latency revolution” with Zen 6 Ryzen interconnect tech appeared first on OC3D.

As Nintendo is unlikely to ever release its games on PC, emulation has been the only way for users to enjoy them on hardware other than the original consoles for a long time. However, over the past few years, we have seen the rise of native PC ports, including ports of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, which offer advanced features over emulated versions, such as support for higher resolutions. The latest of these is a native port of the original Super Smash Bros., which also serves as an example of the magnitude of what AI can achieve for a project like this, […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/nintendo-native-pc-port-super-smash-bros-ai-generated/

The Exynos 2600 will eventually be replaced by the Exynos 2700, as Samsung expands its 2nm GAA chipset portfolio later this year with the introduction of a successor. While we have only heard about rumors and leaks surrounding the SoC, during the Korean giant’s Q1 2026 earnings call, it was the first time that the company publicly revealed that it’s developing the Exynos 2700 and intends to extend its market share with the latter’s release. Exynos 2700 to make up a higher percentage of Galaxy S27 shipments, as Samsung looks to reduce dependency on Qualcomm and its Snapdragon family During an […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/samsung-reveals-exynos-2700-details-during-q1-2026-earnings-call/

Ever since the system's release in late 2020, developers have been hard at work expanding the PlayStation 5's functionality beyond what Sony intended, helped by leaks that could lead to permanent jailbreaks. Now, over five years since the console's release, those with an older phat system still running older versions of the system software can turn Sony's current generation into a highly capable Linux PC, and take advantage of its Zen 2 8 CPU cores and RDNA 2 GPU to run emulators and Steam games with impressive fluidity thanks to a new loader released online by Andy Nguyen a.k.a. TheFl0w. […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/playstation-5-linux-breakthrough-reshape-consoles/

It's been almost a year since Studio Asobo and Focus Home revealed Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, the third game in the peculiar action/adventure series. After a long silence, the French studio has shared a lot of info about this prequel, including its development status, in a fresh devblog. There's good news on that front, as Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is in the final production phase with the last recording sessions and the final notes of the score wrapping up. The blog post teases that "the release is almost here", suggesting it will be released this year, possibly ahead […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/resonance-plague-tale-legacy-release-almost-here/

AIKissfiy turns one or two photos into realistic kissing videos and GIFs. Upload clear face images, click Generate, and get results in 10–30 seconds. The platform supports JPG, JPEG, WEBP, and PNG, and lets you download MP4s to share on TikTok, Instagram, or Snapchat. Use it for romantic surprises, social content, character reimagining, or avatar interactions. Images are processed over encrypted connections and deleted within 24 hours.

View startup

URL to Video converts Shopify, Amazon, TikTok Shop, and Etsy product pages into ready-to-run video ads in minutes. It analyzes a product URL, extracts content, generates scripts, and assembles creatives using proven ad frameworks. You can access a library of winning ads to replicate styles, add UGC-style AI avatars, voice cloning, and text-to-speech, then export platform-ready MP4s. Ecommerce brands, dropshippers, and performance marketers use it to scale variations and launch campaigns faster.

View startup

Inquir is a serverless platform to deploy AI agents, REST APIs, cron jobs, and webhooks without managing infrastructure. Write functions in Node.js, Python, or Go, click deploy, and get a live endpoint with an API gateway, schedules, secret management, and observability built in. Hot containers keep frequent routes warm, isolation improves security, and predictable per-invocation pricing helps control cost. Teams can ship AI pipelines, Stripe webhooks, and backend tasks quickly and easily.

View startup

Open-source Terminal UI, just record & get exhaustive tests

Discussion | Link

The AI design agent that works on your canvas

Discussion | Link

Read full article: https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/culinary-adventures-in-the-philippines-how-kayapa-nueva-vizcaya-is-redefining-highland-tourism-through-heritage-and-gastronomy/

Culinary Adventures in the Philippines: How Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya is Redefining Highland Tourism through Heritage and GastronomyExplore how Kayapa, Philippines...

Read More

Source: Travel And Tour World

Original Source: Travel And Tour World
Unauthorized copying or republishing is prohibited.

Read full article: https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/saudi-arabia-joins-qatar-kuwait-bahrain-and-others-as-recent-missile-and-drone-strikes-by-iran-across-the-gulf-force-triggers-israel-to-deploy-iron-dome-to-the-uae-intensifying-the-regional-war-di/

Saudi Arabia Joins Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Others as Recent Missile and Drone Strikes by Iran Across the Gulf Force...

Read More

Source: Travel And Tour World

Original Source: Travel And Tour World
Unauthorized copying or republishing is prohibited.

Read full article: https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/greeces-most-iconic-hotel-revived-conrad-athens-the-ilisian-brings-a-new-era-of-luxury-to-athens/

Greece’s Most Iconic Hotel Revived: Conrad Athens The Ilisian Brings a New Era of Luxury to AthensRead full article: https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/greeces-most-iconic-hotel-revived-conrad-athens-the-ilisian-brings-a-new-era-of-luxury-to-athens/Greece...

Read More

Source: Travel And Tour World

Original Source: Travel And Tour World
Unauthorized copying or republishing is prohibited.

Read full article: https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/qatar-airways-joins-emirates-and-etihad-in-sudden-flight-cancellations-from-dublin-causing-massive-disruptions-and-stranding-travelers-as-airlines-struggle-with-unforeseen-operational-failures-and-ov/

Qatar Airways Joins Emirates and Etihad in Sudden Flight Cancellations from Dublin, Causing Massive Disruptions and Stranding Travelers as Airlines...

Read More

Source: Travel And Tour World

Original Source: Travel And Tour World
Unauthorized copying or republishing is prohibited.

Samsung might bring a massive overhaul to the camera specs and placement in its next-gen flagship phone. A new rumor signals that the Galaxy S27 Ultra could offer 3x zoom using 200MP camera, rather than a dedicated sensor.

Credible tipster Ice Universe posted early rumors about the Galaxy S27 Ultra, claiming the 3x telephoto camera may be gone and the 200MP primary camera could handle the zoom – just like 2x optical-quality zoom, digitally.

3x camera is rumored to be gone

Galaxy S27 Ultra may ditch a dedicated 3x telephoto sensor. If true, it’s going to be the biggest camera overhaul in the Galaxy S Ultra lineup after the S20 Ultra.

3x camera sensor hasn’t received any substantial upgrade in recent years. That also signals that the Korean tech giant doesn’t think bringing a dedicated sensor for 3x shooting makes any sense.

In that case, Samsung should use an upgraded primary camera. The ISOCELL HP2 has been repeated since its debut in the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Competition is rising, and that aspect needs a technological upgrade in 2027.

Is Samsung considering triple camera setup?

Cutting the telephoto sensor would help Samsung handle cost pressure. Memory and chipset prices are spiking every day, and that’s not going to stop anytime soon.

Supply chain rumors indicate that Samsung is considering a major camera placement shift in next year’s flagship phones. A preview might be seen in another model, sometime later this year, to gauge the market response.

This will help Samsung align with Apple and Google, which also use three camera sensors on their flagship phones. If Samsung can deliver with just two sensors, there’s no need to bear the burden of an additional sensor.

The post Galaxy S27 Ultra rumors signal triple-camera setup, 200MP sensor could handle 3x zoom appeared first on Sammy Fans.

There has been a fair bit of controversy surrounding the ranks of OnePlus and Realme over the last few months, and the latest report from China suggests the two brands have merged. Tipster Digital Chat Station revealed that after careful consideration, the two brands are set to become one single entity under the leadership of OnePlus China president Li Jie, who will report directly to Pete Lau (Liu Zuohu). What this likely means is that both brands will share product development, strategy and resources. This should also extend to software development, product roadmaps, and device launch...

More Android devices are now gaining AirDrop support in Quick Share, with the latest additions being the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and the vivo X300 Ultra. The feature was also rolled out to Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series last month. The global product page for the Oppo Find X9 Ultra confirms support for the updated Quick Share feature with AirDrop compatibility, enabling seamless file transfers between Android, iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices. Quick Share with AirDrop support on Oppo Find X9 Ultra Meanwhile, a separate report confirms that the global vivo X300 Ultra also supports AirDrop...

The saga surrounding the rematch between Floyd Mayweather and has taken another twist. Back in February it was reported that Mayweather and Pacquiao were set to do battle in a rematch later this year, over 10 years on from when they were first met in 2015. It would have seen Mayweather come out of retirement […]

The post Major update provided on Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao rematch: “That made no sense” appeared first on Boxing News.

Terence Crawford has addressed some criticism levelled at him since retirement. The five-weight world champion hung up the gloves late last year following an impressive victory over Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, stepping away from the sport undefeated and with a record-breaking legacy. Despite most commending the timing of his decision to retire, some believe ‘Bud’ should […]

The post Terence Crawford says he would have ended rival’s career if they fought: “He can’t tie my shoes” appeared first on Boxing News.

This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read.

Süper Lig'in 31. haftasında rakip ceza sahasında en fazla topla buluşan oyuncu Victor Osimhen oldu. Galatasaray'ın yıldızı, Fenerbahçe derbisindeki performansını 1 de golle süslemişti.

Süper Lig'de haftanın, hatta sezonun maçında Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe'yi 3-0 mağlup etmişti. Kolundaki sakatlığın ardından ilk 11'e dönen Victor Osimhen, 3-0 kazanılan karşılaşmada açılışı yaptı. Nijeryalı yıldız, 90 dakika boyunca da Fenerbahçe savunmacılarını epey uğraştırdı...

TAKIM HALİNDE 10!

Süper Lig'in 31. haftasında rakip ceza sahasında en fazla topla buluşan oyuncular şöyle sıralandı (Toplam):

Victor Osimhen- 13

Umut Bozok- 10

El Bilal Toure- 7

Hyeon-gyu Oh- 6

Ernest Muçi- 6

Enis Bardhi- 6

Doğukan Sinik- 6

Fenerbahçe takım halinde derbide sadece 10 kez Galatasaray ceza sahasında topla buluşmuştu.

ŞUTLARDA DA GEÇTİ

Nijeryalı süper yıldız ayrıca Fenerbahçe'ye karşı tek başına 8 şut çekti. Sarı-Lacivertliler takım halinde 5'te kaldı. Liverpool deplasmanında kolunda kırık oluşan 27 yaşındaki santrfor, uzun süre sonra derbide ilk 11'de yer aldı. Farkını da hemen gösterdi. Osimhen, Türkiye Kupası'ndaki Gençlerbirliği sınavının son bölümünde de forma giymişti.

Galatasaray'ın Alman yıldızı Leroy Sane, 3-0 kazanılan Fenerbahçe derbisinde gol veya asist üretmedi. Ancak maçın gizli kahramanıydı. Ayrıca bir istatistikte 31. haftanın en iyi ismi oldu.

Süper Lig'in 31. haftasında en fazla progresif koşu yapan oyuncular şöyle sıralanıyor (Toplam):

Leroy Sane- 6

Janderson- 5

Ivan Brnic- 4

Nikola Storm- 4

Doğukan Sinik- 4

Not: Progresif koşu; topa sahipken ya da topsuz şekilde ileriye çıkarak takımın hücumu rakip kaleye taşıdığı koşular olarak tanımlanıyor.

Leroy Sane, kısa mesafede inanılmaz şekilde hızlanabiliyor. Bu özelliği sayesinde rakipler için tam bir kabusa dönüşebiliyor. 30 yaşındaki kanat oyuncusu, 3-0 kazanılan Fenerbahçe derbisinde gol veya asist katkısı sunamadı. Ancak birçok isme göre; derbide sahadaki en iyi futbolcuydu...

Galatasaray'ın sezon başındaki ilk flaş transferi Leroy Sane'ydi... Sarı-Kırmızılılar, Bayern Münih'le sözleşmesi sona eren yıldız ismi ikna etti ve İstanbul'a indirdi. Bu transfer; bonservis bedeli ödenmeden tamamlandı. Sane, Süper Lig'de 25 karşılaşmaya çıktı. Sahada 2.087 dakika kaldı. 7 gol ve 5 asist üretti.

Küme düşmeme mücadelesi veren Eyüpspor, son olarak Gaziantep FK'yı 3-0 mağlup etmişti. Sözleşmesi sezon sonunda bitecek olan Umut Bozok, maça damga vurdu. Birçok Süper Lig ekibi, onunla ilgileniyor.

Umut Bozok, Eyüpspor'un 3-0 kazandığı Gaziantep FK karşılaşmasında şu istatistiklere imza atmıştı:

Gol: 1

Asist: 2

İsabetli Şut: 3

29 yaşındaki santrfor, küme düşmeme mücadelesi veren takımına hayati bir 3 puan kazandırdı. 31. hafta itibarıyla son 5 takım şöyle sıralanıyor:

14. Gençlerbirliği: 28 puan

15. Eyüpspor: 28 puan

16. Antalyaspor: 28 puan

17. Kayserispor: 26 puan

18. Karagümrük: 21 puan

BEDELSİZ GELMİŞTİ

Umut Bozok, 2025'in Şubat ayında Trabzonspor'dan bedelsiz olarak Eyüpspor'a gelmişti. İstanbul ekibiyle sözleşmesi bu sezon sonunda tamamlanıyor. 29 yaşındaki santrforla birçok Süper Lig kulübünün ilgilendiği öğrenildi. Ancak 1.78 boyundaki futbolcunun önceliği, Eyüpspor'un ligde kalmasını sağlamak...

TRABZONSPOR'DA OLMAMIŞTI

Trabzonspor, Umut'u 2022 yazında Lorient Kulübü'nden transfer etmişti. O dönemde 2 milyon euro bonservis bedeli ödendi. Oyuncudan beklentiler büyüktü... Fakat Bordo-Mavili forma altında işler pek yolunda gitmedi. Umut Bozok, Trabzonspor'da toplam 56 maça çıktı. 14 gol ve 5 asist üretti.

Bu sezon hem Süper Lig hem de Şampiyonlar Ligi'nde çok önemli performanslar sergileyen Barış Alper Yılmaz'ın çok sayıda talibi bulunuyor. Yönetim ise onu ucuza bırakmayacak.

Suudi Arabistan ekibi NEOM, sezon başında Barış Alper Yılmaz için devreye girmişti. Hatta bu sebeple bir ara milli futbolcu ve tribünlerin arası açıldı. Ardından her şey tatlıya bağlandı. 25 yaşındaki oyuncu, hem Süper Lig hem de Şampiyonlar Ligi'nde hafızalara kazınan performanslar sergiledi.

1.86 boyundaki kanat, 28 Süper Lig sınavında boy gösterdi. Sahada 2.177 dakika kaldı. 8 gol ve 11 asist üretti. Şampiyonlar Ligi'nde ise gücüyle rakiplerini bezdirdi. Doğal olarak Avrupa'nın dev ekiplerinin gözü, ona çevrildi. Galatasaray'ın satış listesinde Barış yok. Ancak çok yüksek bir teklif gelirse durum değişebilir.

Sarı-Kırmızılılar'ın, 60 milyon euronun altındaki rakamları kabul etmeyeceği öğrenildi. Barış Alper Yılmaz'ın mevcut kontratı 30 Haziran 2028 tarihine kadar sürüyor. Ayrıca milli yıldızın sonraki satışından Keçiörengücü'nün de %20'lik pay hakkı var. Bu sebeple Barış satılırsa, kesinlikle ucuza gitmeyecek.

Ali Koç aday olmayacak... ancak Mehmet Ali Aydınlar'ı da seçtirmeyecek. Fenerbahçe kongresini belirleyecek 7-8 bin oyu var. Hepsi bir işaretine bakıyor.

Mehmet Ali Aydınlar aday olmak istiyor... daha önce "kesinlikle aday değilim" diyen Aydınlar'ın yukarıdan aldığı talimatla bir anda aday olmaya karar vermesi ise Aziz Yıldırım ve Ali Koç'u gard almaya itti. Aydınlar'a kesinlikle karşı olan Yıldırım, adaylığı bile düşünmeye başladı.

Ali Koç ise aday olmayacak ancak Aydınlar'ın aday olmaması için de tüm ağırlığını koyacak. Ali Koç'un genel kurul üyeleri arasında bir ağırlığı var.

Camiada, "işareti ile 7-8 bin oyun yön değiştirebilir" şeklinde konuşmalar geçiyor. Aydınlar aday olursa Koç'un bu gücünü kullanacağı iddia ediliyor.

Mahmut Uslu ve İlhan Ekşioğlu'nun başını çektiği isimler Aziz Yıldırım'a bir kez daha başkan olması gerektiği yönünde ısrarla bastırıyor. "3 Temmuz için" diyerek ikna etmeye çalışıyorlar.

Aziz Yıldırım, Ankara'ya çıkarma yaptı... daha önce beraber çalıştığı yöneticiler Nihat Özbağı ve Mahmut Uslu gibi isimlerle bir araya geldi. Ankara'da. Üst düzey bazı isimlerle de görüştü.

Bugün İstanbul'a dönmesi bekleniyor. Hafta sonunda yeniden arkadaşlarıyla bir araya gelecek... durum değerlendirmesi yapacak.

Mehmet Ali Aydınlar adaylığını açıklarsa aday olma ihtimali hemen hemen kesin... ya da desteğini açıkça vereceği bir adayı öne sürecek.

Özellikle Uslu ve İlhan Ekşioğlu gibi isimlerden kendisine son bir kez daha başkan olması gerektiği yönünde ısrarı var. Hep aynı noktada birleşiyorlar: 3 Temmuz için

Devin Özek sadece 1 yıl içinde yaptığı transferler sayesinde Fenerbahçe'yi 427 milyon euro'luk devasa bir taahütün altına soktu.

Fenerbahçe’de sportif direktörlük görevine Devin Özek’in gelmesiyle başlayan transfer savurganlığı, kulübün mali yapısında devasa bir yük oluşturdu.

Bonservis bedelleri, imza paraları ve astronomik maaşlarla birlikte sarı-lacivertli kulübün altına girdiği toplam yükümlülük 427 milyon Euro’yu geçti.

Ederson'la 3+1 yıllık sözleşme imzalandı... yıllık maaşı 11 milyon Euro olarak açıklandı. Škriniar'a ise 4 sezon boyunca yıllık net 8 milyon Euro kazanacak. Oyuncunun bonservis maliyeti ise bonuslarla birlikte 10 milyon Euro’yu buluyor.

Guendouzi için 26+2 milyon Euro bonservis ödenirken, Kanté için de 14.4 milyon Euro’luk imza parası verildi. Kanté’nin önümüzdeki yıllardaki maaş yükü 11 milyon Euro seviyelerine çıkacak.

Kerem Aktürkoğlu'na 22.5 milyon Euro bonservis bedelinin yanı sıra, imaj hakları ve menajerlik ücretleri dahil edildiğinde 50 milyon Euro’nun üzerinde bir taahüt verildi. Hakan Safi, transferin toplam paketinin 35 milyon Euro seviyesinde olduğunu açıklamıştı.

1.5 yıllık maliyeti 18 milyon Euro olan Talisca'nın sözleşmesi yıllık 8.5 milyon Euro karşılığında uzatıldı. PSG’den 7.5 milyon Euro bonservisle alınan Asensio için yıllık 12 milyon Euro maaş ödendiği konuşuluyor. Sadece 1 yıllık kiralama maliyetinin maaş ve menajerlik ücretleriyle birlikte Jhon Duran'a 21 milyon Euro ödendiği Hakan Safi tarafından açıklandı.

Archie Brown (16 milyon euro), Anthony Musaba (12 milyon Euro) ve Sidiki Cherif (33 milyon Euro maliyet) gibi isimler için de ciddi taahhütlerin altına girdi. Edson Álvarez (7.5 milyon Euro) ve Semedo da (4.2 milyon Euro) Devin Özek'in hediyeleri(!) oldu.

Belki de Fenerbahçe'de teknik direktör Tedesco'nun kovulmasına neden olan Nkunku, AC Milan'da tutunamadı. Şimdi de kendisine yol göründü.

Fenerbahçe teknik direktörü Tedesco'nun devre arasında transferini ısrarla isediği Nkunku'ya yol göründü... Corriere dello Sport'un haberine göre AC Milan, sezon sonunda Christopher Nkunku ile yollarını ayıracak.

Tedesco'nun Sörloth'un yerine tercih ettiği Nkunku devre arasında Fenerbahçe'ye gelmeyerek takımı forvetsiz bıraktı.

Sidiki Cherif'in alınmasına neden oldu. Tedesco'nun gönderilmesine belki de Fenerbahçe yönetiminin yerden yere vurulmasına neden oldu.

"Fenerbahçe'ye gitmenin doğru bir adım olmadığını kısa sürede fark ettik" diyen Philip Cocu'dan itiraflar geldi.

Ali Koç'un başkanlığı seçildiğinde takımın başına getirdiği Phillip Cocu yıllar sonra hata yaptığını itiraf etti. The Mancave Studio isimli programa konuk olan Hollandalı teknik adamın sözleri:

- Fenerbahçe’ye gitmenin doğru bir adım olmadığını kısa sürede fark ettik. Kulüpteki durum bize anlatılandan çok daha zordu. Fenerbahçe’nin her zaman şampiyonluk için oynayan bir kulüp olması beni cezbetmişti ama gerçekler çok farklıydı.

- Eğer İstanbul’da geçirdiğim ilk ayda öğrendiklerimi baştan bilseydim farklı bir karar verirdim. Tamamen farklı bir yapının içine girdim. Hollanda’daki futbol anlayışını oraya doğrudan uygulamak kolay değil.

Lakers'ın yıldızı LeBron James Houston formasıyla şov yapan Alperen Şengün'e tepki gösterirken terbiyesizliği ele aldı.

Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers'ı mağlup ederek serideki durumu 3-2 yaptı! Alperen Şengün, "Kesinlikle amacımız 7. maçı oynamak" dedi. Alperen Şengün'ün Lakers deplasmanında kazandıkları maçtaki performansı ile bir kez daha kendisine hayran bıraktı.

14 sayı

9 ribaund

8 asist

2 top çalma

1 blok

5/9 saha içi isabeti

Lakers'ın yıldızı LeBron James ise milli takımın yıldızına terbiyesizlik yaptı. Alperen'e şu sözlerle tepki gösterdi.

- Sen değil, sen değil! Bunu sen söyleyemezsin. Bunu söyleyemeyecek tek kişi sensin y... g... uzun adam. Demek basit faul, tamam.

Al-Nassr'ın, Al Ahli'yi 2-0 yendiği maç sonrası Merih Demiral kendisine çift dalan Kingsley Coman'ı dövmek istedi.

Al-Nassr'ın, Al Ahli'yi 2-0 yendiği maç sonrası Merih Demiral ile Kingsley Coman arasında gerginlik yaşandı. Sebebi Coman'ın Merih'e çift dalması.

Merih Demiral maç sonu Kingsley Coman'a saldırmak istedi. Merih Demiral maçtan sonra da "Ayağımın durumuna bakın! AYağım kırılacaktı! Herkes Al Nassr’ın şampiyon olması için yardım ediyor. Herkes Al Nassr’ın kupa kazanmasını istiyor. Bu utanç verici. Elhamdülillah, Al Ahli her zaman kimsenin yardımı olmadan kazanıyor" diye konuştu.

??????????????????

????????? ???? ????? ????? ??????? ? ????? ????? ?????? ? ?????? ????? #????? ?????? ???? ???? pic.twitter.com/0jtsMrHy35

Granit Xhaka'nın, Beşiktaş'a gelmeyi çok istediği transferi için Sergen Yalçın'ın kararını henüz vermediği iddia edildi.

34 yaşındaki Granit Xhaka'nın, Beşiktaş’a gelmeyi çok istediği iddia edildi. Bir önceki sezonda Okan Buruk'un İsviçreli oyuncuyu istediği iddia ediliyordu.

O dönemde sarı-kırmızılı taraftarlar yaşı nedeniyle Arnavut asıllı oyuncuya karşı çıktılar. Yerine daha sonra Gabriel Sara alındı. Xhaka transferi için Sergen Yalçın kararını henüz vermediği aynı dedikodunun içinde yer alan bir başka detay.

“Əl Nəsr”in hücumçusu Kriştiano Ronaldo açıqlama verib.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, “Record” nəşrinə danışan 40 yaşlı futbolçu liqa ilə bağlı fikirlərini bölüşüb:

“Son zamanlarda xoş olmayan situasiya var. Hamı hakimlərdən, çempionatdan şikayət edir. Bu, yanlışdır. Mövsümün sonunda fikirlərimi daha aydın bölüşəcəyəm. Avropadakı liqalarla rəqabət aparmaq istəyiriksə, özümüzü yaxşı göstərməliyik. Şikayətləri bitirməliyik”.

Ronaldonun komandası çempionatda 30 turdan sonra 79 xalla liderdir və ən yaxın izləyicisi “Əl Hilal”ı 8 xal qabaqlayır.

“Milan” futbolçusu Kristofer Nkunkunu satmaq istəyir.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə İtaliya mətbuatı məlumat yayıb. “Qırmızı-qaralar” fransalı yarımmüdafiəçi üçün gələcək təklifləri dəyərləndirəcək.

Nkunku baş məşqçi Massimiliano Alleqrinin planlarında yer almır.

Yarımmüdafiəçi bu mövsüm 31 oyunda 6 qol vurub.

Bu gün UEFA Konfrans Liqasında yarımfinal mərhələsinin ilk oyunları keçiriləcək.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, türkiyəli mütəxəssis Arda Turanın rəhbərlik etdiyi “Şaxtyor” “Kristal Pelas”la qarşılaşacaq.

Digər görüşdə “Valyekano” Fransa təmsilçisi “Strasburq”la üz-üzə gələcək.

Komandalar arasındakı cavab oyunları mayın 7-də keçiriləcək.

UEFA Konfrans Liqası
Yarımfinal mərhələsi, ilk oyunlar

30 aprel

23:00 Şaxtyor – Kristal Pelas
23:00 Valyekano – Strasburq

“Neftçi” Misli Premyer Liqasının XXI turundan təxirə salınmış oyunda bu gün “Qarabağ”ı qəbul edəcək.

Bakı klubunun keçmiş məşqçisi Arif Əsədov “Futbolpress.az“a açıqlamasında matçdan gözləntilərini bölüşdü:

“Neftçi” dördüncü yer üçün mübarizə aparmağa davam etmək istəyirsə, mütləq qələbə qazanmalıdır. Məğlubiyyət şanslarını çox azaldacaq. Buna görə, komanda matça maksimum şəkildə hazır olmalıdır”.

Komandalar arasında ötən həftə baş tutan görüşdə “Qarabağ” 5:1 hesablı qələbə qazanıb. Əsədov bu nəticənin bugünkü oyuna mümkün təsirindən söz açdı:

“1:5-in təsiri ola bilər. Belə məğlubiyyətin komandada inamsızlıq yaratmaq ehtimalı var. Amma bəzən də görürük ki, ağır nəticələr geridönüş üçün bir məqama çevrilir. “Neftçi” oyuna son şans kimi baxmalıdır. “Qarabağ”ın gücü isə bəllidir. Komandada daxili atmosfer nə qədər yaxşı olmasa da, meydanda sərgilənən oyun bunları arxa planda qoyur”.

Mütəxəssis “Neftçi”nin durumuna da toxundu:

“Ötən matç göstərdi ki, “Neftçi” hələ yüksək səviyyədə oyun üçün hazır deyil. Vernidubun işi çox olacaq. Məsələ tək taktiki vəziyyətdən getmir, oyunçu profili önəmlidir, komandada bəzi mövqelər gücləndirilməlidir. “Qarabağ”la oyun “Neftçi” üçün test oldu. Gələcək planları qurmaq üçün bu görüşlərdən nələrsə götürmək olar”.

“Neftçi” – “Qarabağ” oyununa saat 20:00-da start veriləcək.

Şahin Cəfərov

17 yaşadək futbolçulardan ibarət Azərbaycan milli komandası UEFA İnkişaf Turnirində son oyuna çıxıb.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, yığma üçüncü matçında Pakistanın müvafiq yaş qrupundan ibarət komandası ilə qarşılaşıb. Qazaxıstanın Çimkənd şəhərində yerləşən “Namys” stadionunda keçirilən görüş millinin 1:0 hesablı qələbəsi ilə yekunlaşıb. Komandanın heyətində qalibiyyət qolunu 77-ci dəqiqədə Nazim Əliyev vurub.

Bununla da Aqil Nəbiyevin yetirmələri 4 komandanın iştirakı ilə baş tutan turniri 5 xalla tamamlayıb. U-17 daha əvvəl Rusiya (0:5) və Qazaxıstan (1:1. Penaltilərlə 4:2) seçmələri ilə qarşılaşıb.

The post MegaETH Launches on Top Exchanges as MEGA Price Jumps appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

MegaETH (MEGA), a new Ethereum Layer 2 network focused on real-time performance, is listing across multiple major centralized and decentralized exchanges simultaneously, including KuCoin, Bitget, Bithumb, Upbit, and Coinbase on 30th Arpil 2026.

According to the coinmrket cap, Mega token’s pre-launch price surged past $0.195, jumping over 8% in a day. 

MegaETH (MEGA) Goes Live on Exchanges

MegaETH (MEGA) launched on April 30, 2026, across several major exchanges, announcing support for MEGA trading and deposits. 

KuCoin started with a “World Premiere” listing, one of its biggest launch categories. The MEGA/USDT spot trading pair went live on April 30.

Bitget also listed MEGA for spot trading. Deposit services opened first, while trading started later the same day.

In South Korea, one of the world’s busiest crypto markets, Upbit, Bithumb, and Huobi HTX confirmed MEGA listings on April 30. Upbit, the country’s largest exchange, launched trading pairs in KRW, BTC, and USDT.

Bithumb listed MEGA against the South Korean Won, giving local traders another way to buy the token.

Meanwhile, Huobi HTX listed MEGA on launch day, with deposits opened earlier.

Coinbase & Binance Exchanges Yet to Confirm

Coinbase, known for being very selective with new listings, opened deposit support for MEGA before the token generation event (TGE). This was seen as a strong positive sign, as Coinbase usually adds support only when it expects solid demand.

Binance has not yet confirmed a spot trading listing based on the latest reports. However, Binance Square has been sharing verified official updates about the MEGA launch, keeping hopes alive for a future listing.

MEGA Also Listing On Decentralized Exchange

On the decentralized exchange side, Kumbaya is the leading native DEX on the MegaETH network, holding a strong share of trading volume.

Prism is another decentralized exchange with active MEGA trading activity.

SectorOne V2.2 is also a decentralized platform that supports assets within the MegaETH ecosystem.

MEGA Price Surges Ahead of Launch

Before the official token generation event (TGE), MEGA saw strong buying activity. The token briefly crossed $0.215 and is currently trading near $0.197, marking an 8% daily gain. 

MegaETH has a total supply of 10 billion tokens. Only 5% was allocated to the public sale, helping keep early supply limited.

The biggest share, 53.3%, is reserved for staking rewards to support long-term users. Team and advisors hold 9.5%, while the Foundation and Ecosystem Reserve gets 7.5%.

The remaining 24.7% is for investors and reward programs.

Early data shows the network already holds around $200 million in total value locked (TVL) and is processing about 26 transactions per second. These numbers suggest that the chain is active from the start.

The post Upbit Lists MegaETH Across KRW, BTC, and USDT Markets appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

South Korea’s largest crypto exchange, Upbit, has announced the listing of MegaETH (MEGA) with trading pairs MEGA/KRW, MEGA/BTC, and MEGA/USDT. MegaETH is an EVM-compatible Layer 2 network designed for real-time performance, claiming over 100,000 transactions per second with near-instant latency. The MEGA token is used for governance, staking, and gas fees. The listing aims to expand access to high-speed blockchain infrastructure for traders on one of Asia’s biggest exchanges.

The post Bybit Removed from Malaysia Watchlist After Regulator Talks appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Bybit CEO Ben Zhou said the exchange has been removed from the Securities Commission Malaysia’s Investor Alert List after constructive engagement and full alignment with local regulatory requirements. The development follows earlier enforcement actions but reflects improved compliance and cooperation with authorities. Zhou also highlighted Bybit’s investment in Malaysia-based licensed platform Hata, signaling a focus on regulated expansion. He emphasized that strong local infrastructure is key to trust, safety, and long-term crypto adoption in Malaysia’s growing digital asset market.

The post Solana Partners with South Korea’s Shinhan Card appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

South Korea’s largest credit card issuer, Shinhan Card, has signed a strategic MOU with the Solana Foundation to test stablecoin payments on Solana’s testnet. The project focuses on real-world customer and merchant transactions to evaluate speed, scalability, security, and user experience. Building on earlier successful trials, the initiative explores instant settlements, lower fees, and non-custodial wallet integration. The goal is to advance a hybrid blockchain payment model that could eventually serve over 28 million cardholders in South Korea.

The post US Will Not Sell Its 300,000 BTC Says Eric Trump as Sovereign Accumulation Story Takes Shape appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

The conversation around Bitcoin at the Bitcoin 2026 in Las Vegas took a decisive turn this week after Eric Trump confirmed that the U.S. government is sitting on a massive stash of Bitcoin, and isn’t planning to sell.

“The US government holds 300,000 BTC and will not sell it,” Trump said during a panel, reinforcing the growing narrative that Bitcoin is no longer a short-term asset for governments but part of a long-term reserve strategy.

“Bitcoin Is Being Compressed”

Trump described what he calls a major “compression” happening in Bitcoin. In simple terms, more players are buying, and crucially, not selling. He stressed that while the narrative often focuses on Bitcoin’s 21 million supply cap, the real story is an even tighter supply because a large portion is lost or held long-term.

“People are not selling it. People are holding it. Bitcoin is becoming sticky,” he said, pointing out that long-term holders are replacing short-term traders.

Institutions Flip the Script

One of the biggest shifts is coming from traditional finance. Trump highlighted how major players that once dismissed Bitcoin are now actively building around it.

He pointed to JPMorgan Chase, noting how CEO Jamie Dimon once criticized Bitcoin but now allows clients to borrow against BTC for mortgages. Meanwhile, Charles Schwab is preparing to custody Bitcoin for its massive user base, signaling deeper institutional trust.

On top of that, BlackRock has pushed highly successful Bitcoin ETFs, with new yield strategies now being layered on top, further expanding institutional exposure.

Corporates, Governments, and Miners Step In

Beyond Wall Street, corporate and sovereign participation is rising. Trump highlighted firms like Michael Saylor’s company and Metaplanet, both aggressively accumulating Bitcoin.

Even governments are now part of the equation. He noted that the U.S. holds around 300,000 BTC and is not selling, while parts of the Middle East are using excess energy capacity to mine Bitcoin, turning unused resources into long-term assets.

“This Is Just Getting Started”

For Trump, the last six months have been “transformational” compared to the previous three years. Overall, according to him, the market is shifting from speculative cycles to structural accumulation.

“We are in the greatest period in the history of crypto… just hold on, it’s coming,” he said, expressing strong conviction that the current phase is only the beginning of a much larger move.

The post XRP Sentiment Spikes, But Leverage Flush Signals Caution, Not Breakout—What’s Next? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

The XRP price has been under significant upward pressure over the past few days, particularly after hitting a local high of $1.44. On the other hand, XRP’s social sentiment has surged to one of its highest levels in two years following the Rakuten integration narrative. But beneath the optimism, market data tells a very different story. The spike in bullish commentary suggests growing retail excitement. Historically, however, these sentiment surges tend to coincide with FOMO zones rather than sustainable breakouts.

At the start of the trading session, the XRP price saw a sharp price drop accompanied by rising volume—a combination that signals aggressive activity, not controlled accumulation.

XRP Sentiment Jumps on Rakuten Integration, But Euphoria Signals Caution

XRP has seen a sharp rise in bullish sentiment following its integration with Rakuten, one of Japan’s largest digital ecosystems. The move allows users to convert Rakuten Points, a widely used loyalty rewards system, into XRP, expanding the asset’s real-world utility and retail accessibility. From an adoption standpoint, this is a meaningful development. 

Rakuten’s massive user base and established fintech infrastructure give XRP exposure to a broader audience, particularly in Japan, where the token has historically maintained strong traction.

However, sentiment-driven optimism does not always translate into immediate price strength. Recent Santiment data shows XRP’s positive social sentiment entering historically elevated levels, often associated with short-term “FOMO zones.” In previous instances, similar spikes have aligned more closely with local tops or cooldown phases rather than sustained breakouts.

This suggests that while the Rakuten integration strengthens XRP’s long-term narrative, the current surge in sentiment may reflect late-stage positioning rather than fresh accumulation. As a result, the market may require a period of consolidation before any adoption-driven upside can fully materialise.

XRP Holds Key Support After Sentiment-Driven Flush

Following the sentiment surge and subsequent liquidation-driven drop, XRP’s price action is now showing signs of stabilization rather than continued weakness. The chart highlights a well-defined support zone near the $1.28–$1.30 range, which has repeatedly absorbed selling pressure since the sharp February decline. Despite the recent volatility, the price has continued to respect this level, suggesting that buyers are still defending the range.

The drop in open interest alongside rising volume points to a leverage flush, not aggressive new short positioning. The RSI remains near the midzone, reflecting no strong bullish momentum and no oversold reversal signal. This further supports the idea that XRP is in a cooldown phase after the sentiment spike, not in an active expansion phase.

XRP is currently trading within a broader consolidation within the resistance zone between $1.45 and $1.50 and the support zone between $1.28 and $1.30.  Price continues to move between these levels without a confirmed breakout, indicating a neutral market phase rather than a directional trend.

What Comes Next: Confirmation or Breakdown

XRP price now sits at a critical turning point where the next move will depend on whether the market can transition from sentiment-driven volatility to sustained demand. After the recent leverage flush, the price continues to hold above the $1.28–$1.30 support zone, indicating that buyers are still active at lower levels. 

However, without a decisive push above the $1.45 resistance area, the broader structure remains range-bound. For a bullish continuation to take shape, XRP needs to attract fresh capital, reflected in rising open interest and stronger spot participation alongside price recovery. On the other hand, a breakdown below key support would signal that the recent sentiment surge failed to translate into accumulation, increasing the risk of further downside. 

In this context, the current phase is less about reacting to optimism and more about waiting for confirmation, as the market determines whether this is a reset before expansion or the early stages of a deeper correction.

The post Why Crypto Market Is Down Today? BTC, ETH, XRP Fall After FOMC Meeting appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Crypto market is down today as the Federal Reserve reinforces a “no rush to cut” stance, tightening expectations around liquidity. Despite holding rates steady, the central bank pointed to prolonged restrictive conditions, which historically weighs on high-risk assets like crypto. 

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP have all moved lower as liquidity expectations tightened and risk appetite faded. The market had entered this event on strong footing after April’s rally, but the tone from policymakers quickly reversed momentum, triggering broad-based selling pressure. Traders are now reassessing positioning as volatility returns and key support levels come into focus.

So, What’s driving this decline, and why crypto market is down today as macro conditions turn restrictive again?

FOMC Decision: Fed Holds Rates, Signals “Higher-for-Longer”

The Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged at 3.50%–3.75% in its latest meeting, but the decision itself was not the market mover, the messaging was. Policymakers emphasized that inflation remains persistent and risks are still tilted to the upside, leaving little room for near-term rate cuts.

The statement reinforced a “higher-for-longer” stance, with the Fed indicating that restrictive policy will remain in place until clearer progress on inflation is achieved. This directly impacts liquidity expectations, which are a key driver for risk assets like crypto.

Market reaction was immediate. Bitcoin and broader crypto assets saw selling pressure following the announcement, as traders adjusted positioning to reflect delayed easing. The tone from policymakers suggests that any pivot is likely to be gradual, not imminent, keeping financial conditions tight in the near term.

With rate cuts pushed further out and uncertainty around inflation still elevated, the Fed’s stance has shifted the market into a more cautious, defensive phase.

Bitcoin Price Analysis: Fed Aftershock Sparks Rejection – Is Another Leg Down Coming?

Following the FOMC decision, Bitcoin faced immediate selling pressure, with price rejecting sharply near the $82,000 resistance as liquidity expectations tightened. The move aligns with the broader risk-off shift, where upside momentum failed to sustain despite a strong April rally.

The Bitcoin value today is hovering around the $75,000–$76,000 range, reflecting fading strength within the rising structure. At the same time, the Bitcoin Fear & Greed Index has dropped to 29 (Fear), confirming a clear shift in sentiment as traders turn cautious after the Fed’s stance.

The higher low structure remains intact, but repeated failure at resistance is weakening bullish control. The $73,500 level now acts as immediate support; a break below this zone could accelerate downside toward $70,000. 

On the upside, reclaiming $82,000 is required to restore momentum and shift the structure back in favor of buyers. For now, price action is beginning to reflect a more measured tone, where liquidity conditions and sentiment are taking precedence over trend strength. Until resistance is reclaimed with conviction, Bitcoin price remains positioned in a reactive phase, with downside risk gradually building beneath the surface.

Ethereum Price Outlook: Selling Pressure Builds as Range Top Rejects Bulls

Ethereum is beginning to show signs of weakness after another rejection near the $2,500 resistance zone, indicating that buyers are struggling to maintain upward momentum. The coin has declined 3.60% overnight, underperforming Bitcoin and highlighting increased sensitivity to macro pressure. 

ETH is currently trading near the $2,200–$2,250 range, holding within a broader consolidation structure. However, failure to reclaim higher levels suggests that the range could soon resolve to the downside. The $2,150–$2,200 zone acts as immediate support, with a breakdown potentially opening a move toward $1,900. Reclaiming $2,600 is essential to re-establish bullish momentum.

XRP Price Prediction: Range Compression Near Demand Signals Imminent Move

XRP price continues to trade in a compressed range near its demand zone, reflecting a market lacking strong directional conviction. Price has slipped 2.30% overnight, aligning with the broader market weakness and reinforcing the cautious tone. Currently trading around $1.35–$1.40, XRP remains within a narrowing channel following a prolonged downtrend. This structure typically precedes a decisive breakout or breakdown.

The $1.30–$1.35 zone serves as critical support. A breakdown below this level could accelerate downside toward $1.10. On the upside, resistance stands near $1.70, with a broader supply zone at $2.20–$2.40 acting as a key barrier for any sustained recovery. Until a breakout occurs, XRP remains in a consolidation phase, with volatility compressing and pressure building beneath the surface.

What’s Next for BTC, ETH and XRP

As May unfolds, price action is likely to remain range-bound with a bearish tilt unless key resistance levels are reclaimed. Bitcoin above $82,000, Ethereum above $2,600, and XRP above $1.70 are critical to shift momentum. Until then, rallies may continue to face selling pressure, with markets leaning cautious as participants await clearer signals on policy direction and liquidity conditions.

The post ADA price Holds $0.24 as IO Submits $46.8M Roadmap While Pepeto Targets 150x Returns Ahead Of Launch appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Cardano news just hit a new chapter. Input Output Global submitted nine treasury proposals totaling $46.8 million for 2026, voting runs through May 24, and Leios is set to deliver a 10x to 65x throughput boost with a testnet scheduled for June. The Cardano news cycle is finally back to delivery instead of debate, but ADA at $0.249 still needs the full cycle and a hard fork to go anywhere meaningful.

While ADA holders wait for Leios to ship, Pepeto, with $9.6 million committed is the 150x exchange presale already shipping the tools the Cardano news cycle has been promising for years.

Cardano News: IO Global Submits $46.8M Treasury Plan as Leios Testnet Targets June Launch

Input Output Global submitted its 2026 treasury request on Tuesday, asking for $46.8 million across nine proposals down from $97.5 million last year, according to U.Today. The Leios scaling upgrade sits at the center, designed to push throughput from current levels toward more than 1,000 transactions per second through Endorser Blocks and committee based validation. Voting runs through May 24 with roughly 1,000 elected DReps deciding the slate.

The Cardano news here is real progress, but the timeline is the catch. Leios testnet drops in June, mainnet by year end at best, and ADA at $0.249 still trades 92 percent below its $3.10 all time high according to CoinMarketCap. 

Presale entries with shipped exchange tools and a completed audit capture the gains ADA needs multiple catalysts and months of patience to deliver. The wallets putting money into Pepeto this week have already decided they are not standing in line behind a hard fork schedule.

Cardano News and the 150x Exchange Presale That Moves While ADA Waits for Leios to Ship

Pepeto: The Project the Cardano News Timeline Cannot Compete With

While IO Global submits proposals and Leios prepares for testnet, capital is splitting between the Cardano news cycle and the exchange presale that pulled in $9.6 million during the same consolidation ADA traders are living through right now.

Pepeto is built so retail traders run every exchange function inside one screen spanning Ethereum, BSC, and Solana. A bridge moves tokens across networks wi./ghj,1₹thout friction. The matching engine processes every trade at zero cost. A built in scoring tool flags each token for danger before any capital touches it. SolidProof verified every contract before launch, and the cofounder behind the original Pepe rise to $7 billion leads the entire project.

The 150x target is what plays out when audited exchange tokens with shipped products land on the open market. More than $9.6 million raised while the Cardano news community waits for Protocol Version 11, and the gap between the two stories is widening every session: Pepeto delivers gains through tools that function whether Leios ships on time or slips again.

The 177% APY staking grows positions for those already inside, but that is the side benefit. Cardano targets $0.50 near term which is roughly 100 percent needing several catalysts to align. The presale from a $7 billion founder with an approaching Binance listing requires none of those catalysts because the listing follows its own timeline, and when it arrives the presale shuts permanently. By the time ADA holders celebrate $0.50, the entry at $0.0000001867 will already be a closed door, and only the wallets that acted during the quiet will know what it felt like to hold it.

SUI Price at $0.93 as Move Ecosystem Holds, But Token Unlocks Cap the Upside

SUI (SUI) trades at $0.93 per Coinbase, down 2 percent on the day with a market cap of $3.66 billion, drawing DeFi capital through its Move programming model and a CME futures launch scheduled for May 4. 

But monthly token unlocks of roughly 42.94 million SUI, equal to $40 million of supply pressure, dilute holders, and the $5.35 all time high sits 83 percent above current levels. 

Even a strong recovery delivers modest numbers compared to exchange tools at presale pricing from a team that already built $7 billion, where the listing is the discovery event and 177% APY compounds every wallet daily while SUI works back toward $1.

Conclusion: 

The Cardano news targets $0.50 which is about 100 percent needing every catalyst to line up over months. Pepeto’s presale to listing gap delivers on a timeline no hard fork controls and no DRep vote dictates. The $7 billion founder built the exchange, the audit is done, and every quiet day that passes is a day the presale fills further and the entry edges closer to vanishing.

Staking at 177% APY grows positions for those inside, but the listing is the event that changes this price forever, the event that might change a whole life overnight, which is not strange fi. Visit the Pepeto official website to enter before the listing arrives, and the entry becomes available during the waiting becomes the most expensive hesitation of this cycle.

Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale

Disclaimer:

The Pepeto project is growing fast, and as its reach gets bigger, bad actors have attacked the official site. The temporary domain is now « PepetoSwap DOT com » taking over from « Pepeto DOT io » until further notice. 

Users should always make sure they are on the right URL before connecting wallets or sharing personal information.

FAQs

What is the Cardano news today, and where does the price go from here?

Cardano news today is IO Global submitting $46.8 million in nine treasury proposals voting through May 24, with the Leios scaling upgrade testnet scheduled for June. ADA targets $0.50 near term but needs Leios delivery and broader recovery to clear $0.30.

Is Pepeto a better buy than Cardano right now?

Pepeto is a better buy than Cardano right now because the presale at $0.0000001867 with a SolidProof audited exchange and 177% APY staking targets 150x from one approaching Binance listing, while ADA needs months of catalysts for a 100 percent move.

The post Exclusive: Crypto CEO Breaks Down Why Bitcoin and Ethereum Prices Fell After Fed’s Shock Decision appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, but the decision itself was almost beside the point. What rattled crypto markets was a single phrase buried in the policy statement that traders and analysts pulled apart within minutes of its release.

Gone was the familiar characterisation of inflation as “somewhat elevated.” In its place, the Fed said inflation “is elevated.”

The odds of any rate cut in 2026 fell immediately to a new low of 44%. Bitcoin slipped toward $75,000. Ethereum dropped below $2,250. 

What It Means for Crypto

Avinash Shekhar, Co-Founder and CEO of crypto derivatives platform Pi42, told Coinpedia the impact on digital assets is real but should not be overstated.

“The Fed’s decision to hold rates steady has reinforced a higher-for-longer interest rate environment, which typically limits excess liquidity flowing into risk assets like crypto,” Shekhar said. “In the immediate term, Bitcoin and Ethereum may see some downward pressure or continued consolidation as markets adjust to delayed rate cut expectations.”

He pointed to price ranges that suggest the market has already done significant work absorbing the macro uncertainty. Bitcoin has been trading between $74,000 and $78,000. Ethereum has held the $2,250 to $2,350 band. Neither picture suggests a market in distress.

“The magnitude of any dip is likely to be measured rather than sharp,” Shekhar said. “A significant part of the macro uncertainty is already priced in.”

The Playbook for Investors

“For investors, this is a phase to stay disciplined with staggered entries rather than reacting to short-term volatility,” he said. “Structurally, institutional participation and sustained adoption trends continue to provide support, suggesting that any softness in prices is more about timing of liquidity than a breakdown in the broader digital asset narrative.”

The variables that matter most from here are not the rate hold itself but what follows: incoming inflation data, the tone of Fed commentary under new leadership after May 15, and whether the Iran situation moves toward resolution or deeper escalation. Until those questions have clearer answers, crypto is more likely to consolidate within established ranges than break decisively in either direction.

The post Bitcoin ETF Inflow Stops After $2.1B Run, Outflows Cross $490M appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs have now recorded their third straight day of outflows, with total withdrawals crossing $490 million. Following this selling pressure, Bitcoin price dropped 3% after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged, and is now trading at $75,621.

Last week alone recorded a strong consecutive inflow of $823.7 million, contrasting sharply with the recent outflows.

Three Days, $490 million in BTC ETF Outflow

It has been a rough week for Bitcoin ETFs. Since the start of this week, money has been leaving these funds for three straight days.

On Monday, April 27, the biggest hit came in the form of $263.2 million in net outflows from ETFs. This was the largest single-day withdrawal of the week. April 28 brought a little relief, but money continued to leave. Another $89.7 million flowed out of the market.

Then on April 29, the day of the Fed’s rate decision, ETFs recorded another $137.6 million in outflows. This confirmed that the selling was not just a one-day event, but part of a growing trend.

Leading the withdrawals was Fidelity’s FBTC, which recorded the largest outflow of $191.5 million. It was followed by BlackRock’s IBIT, the largest spot Bitcoin ETF by assets under management, with $166.9 million in outflows. Ark Invest’s ARKB came next with $73.3 million.

In total, more than $490 million was pulled from U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs in less than 72 hours.

This outflow comes right after nine consecutive days of inflows, during which Bitcoin ETFs recorded steady inflows totaling $2.111.2 billion.

Fed Held Rates, No Hope of Cuts Soon

The main reason behind this week’s ETF outflows is that the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged at 3.50%–3.75%. This was the third straight time rates were left unchanged.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s press conference also disappointed markets. He gave no signal of rate cuts anytime soon. There was no softer stance on inflation and no sign that easier financial conditions are coming soon.

Iran and the Strait of Hormuz Tension

Tensions between the United States and Iran have increased sharply in recent weeks, with much of the focus on the Strait of Hormuz.

Recently, Donald Trump said the strait could be blocked again if Iran does not surrender. This has added more fear and uncertainty to global markets.

The rising tension this week is creating a cautious mood among investors, and that fear is clearly showing in the Bitcoin ETF outflow numbers.

What Next For Bitcoin

After falling near $74,000 earlier this month, Bitcoin recovered strongly and moved back toward the $80,000 level.

However, much of that gain now appears to be erased, with Bitcoin trading around $75,621. If ETF outflows continue, BTC could soon retest the $74,000 support level again.

Even so, many traders still believe Bitcoin can move toward $85,000 to $88,000 in May, as long as macro conditions do not worsen further.

Source

Source

Source

Source

Footage from Sunday’s Milan-Juventus Serie A match captured Luciano Spalletti urging Lloyd Kelly to be more aggressive with the Bianconeri coach instructing the English defender: ‘You have to go!’

• Read Football Italia Ad-Free and get access to Exclusive News & Content – Free Trial – Click Here

Sunday’s Serie A match between Milan and Juventus saw defences dominate, with the San Siro matchup ending in a goalless draw.

A video published by DAZN shows Spalletti instructing one of his centre-backs, Kelly, to be more aggressive defensively.

Spalletti felt Kelly should have stayed closer to his direct opponent to limit his chances of hurting the Bianconeri.

“You play for 20 meters [far], but you have to go at five meters,” Spalletti said.

“[This way] I can play too.”

Kelly, 27, has been a regular starter at Juventus this season, making 42 appearances across all competitions at the Allianz Stadium.

The Mister and Lloyd pic.twitter.com/RtpGvlEYXt

— Juventus News Live (@juvenewslive) April 29, 2026

Former Inter coach Simone Inzaghi is ‘shocked’ to see the Nerazzurri mentioned in a refereeing scandal in Serie A, as he feels the team was ‘damaged and not favoured’ last season, and insists that wins over Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the Champions League were as exciting as trophies.

• Read Football Italia Ad-Free and get access to Exclusive News & Content – Free Trial – Click Here

Former Inter coach Inzaghi had his say on the refereeing scandal that has broken out in Serie A.

Referee Designator Rocchi has suspended himself from his duties after the Milan Prosecutor alleged that he influenced VAR decisions and assigned referees favoured by Inter for some games in 2024-25.

Recent reports, however, suggest that Rocchi never met Inter executives and that no players or directors from the Nerazzurri or any other Serie A club are under investigation.

“It shocked me. Inter lost many points last season due to refereeing mistakes in Serie A and the Supercoppa,” Inzaghi told Gazzetta.

“It’s surprising to be mentioned in this story, given that we were damaged and not favoured.

“How can you think about a scheme? It was an unfortunate season for us. I’ve always had great respect for the referees’ work, and I don’t want to talk about Napoli, who honestly won the Scudetto,” Inzaghi continued.

“But there’s still a feeling that something was taken away from us. I’m not accusing anyone, and I have no doubts about good faith. Let’s say we were unlucky, and everything went against us. There’s still a disappointment that won’t go away. It’s painful to lose the title for just one point.”

Inzaghi spent four seasons at Inter, winning one Serie A title and reaching the Champions League Final twice.

“I won a lot in four years, and I’m happy with the results,” he said.

“We reached two Champions League Finals. I accept criticism anyway, as long as they concern me and not the footballers, because they always gave me everything they had.

“I wouldn’t change anything. We had a dream, the treble. At the end of the season, we paid a high price for the 23 games we played more than Napoli,” he added.

“Inter have the duty to compete at all levels, and those nights against Bayern and Barcelona will remain in my mind more than trophies—unforgettable victories.”

Last season’s 5-0 loss in the Champions League Final against PSG was Inzaghi’s last game with Inter.

“We arrived at the game without much energy, both physically and mentally,” he explained.

“It’s not an excuse, but a fact. The disappointment of losing the title affected our self-esteem. PSG are a top side as we saw the other night against Bayern. It still hurts to have lost that way, but we can’t forget what had happened before in Europe.”

Is it true that he told Inter players he would leave the club days before the final?

“Absolutely no. I couldn’t have done it because the decision, which was very painful for my family and me, had not been made,” he insisted.

“The truth is that everything happened very quickly. Two days after the Champions League Final, we met at Marotta’s home, with Ausilio and Baccin. In that context, I expressed the desire to change because I felt a cycle had ended. They wanted to continue, but understood my decision. We left as friends, and we still are. If we had won the Champions League, I would have stayed.”

Inzaghi was appointed by Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal last year and has no regret about his decision.

“Luckily, money has never been a problem. I don’t need it,” he said.

“I had a fantastic home in Milan, from which I could see everything, including San Siro. Their offer convinced me, and here I am. Happy to be here.”

The Nerazzurri are now close to winning the Scudetto under Cristian Chivu.

“They’ve been very good. Winning is never easy, and it is Chivu’s merit too,” Inzaghi said.

“I knew the group, and I had no doubts about the players’ capabilities. But it was also the right decision to pick Cristian, and I knew it because I had seen how he worked. Now they must celebrate and try to win the Coppa Italia.”

The Coppa Italia Final, set for May 13, will see Inter face Lazio, two of Inzaghi’s former clubs. Who will he support?

“Nobody, I’ll sit down and enjoy the spectacle,” he said.

“They are two clubs that have given me a lot, so may the best win. Anything can happen in a final.”

Federico Dimarco and Piotr Zielinski appeared to criticise Inzaghi’s management in recent months.

“Federico has had great seasons with me, and he knows it well. I kept him at Inter after seeing him in training for ten days; otherwise, he might have left on loan again. Perhaps his words were misunderstood. We have a great relationship, and we are still in contact,” Inzaghi concluded.

“I’ve read many things about Zielinski, too, but people forget it was me who wanted him at Inter when Marotta and Ausilio said there was a chance. Unfortunately, he had many fitness problems last season and struggled to show his quality.”

• Read more – Inzaghi ‘not’ thinking about Italy job: ‘I’m learning English’

La Gazzetta dello Sport

Penalty Wednesday. Atletico-Arsenal ends in a draw

Inzaghi, I talk

The ex-Inter coach says it all for the first time

‘No favours, we were affected instead. Well done, Chivu, I knew he was the right pick.’

‘Our victories against Bayern and Barcelona were heavier than the trophies we won. I’d have stayed with the Champions League.’

Spalletti calls Silva

Not just Goretzka, Milan think about Guerra now

Corriere dello Sport

Paz’s dream

Club waiting: A lot will depend on the new Madrid coach

Inter wait for Mou

Nico closer if José returns to Real?

Marotta is studying a paid loan with an option to buy and a buyback clause, knowing that the player sees himself with the Merengues. Just one between Martinez and Vicario.

Juve, Kolo discount

The request was between 60m and 70m last year, now 45m is enough

KDB the Neapolitan

Kevin is at the centre of the project: he loves the city and the club relies on him to return to winning.

Italiano, aut aut

Relevant alternatives to Lucumi and Freuler, contract extension for big players and reinforcements in all departments.

Cholo pride, Atletico believe

Tuttosport

Toro, Gattuso’s chances increase

Lewa says Juve, Chico too

The Polish hitman prefers the Bianconeri to Milan. Conceiçao rejects assaults of Liverpool and United.

The new Calciopoli? A piece is missing

Lukaku offers himself to Milan

He has the characteristics wanted by Allegri, doubts on his fitness

It wasn’t PSG-Bayern: Atletico 1-1 Arsenal