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Ian Wright hailed Arsenal Women after their Champions League victory over Barcelona as he believes the triumph "saved the club from embarrassment".

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• Arsenal crowned European champions
• Edged out Barcelona 1-0
• Wright wants a victory parade in North London

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Arsenal etched their name into European football history once again as they secured the Women’s Champions League title in Lisbon, defeating Barcelona 1-0 in a tightly contested final. This marks the North London side’s first continental triumph since 2007, ending an 18-year wait and reviving the club’s glory days in women's football.

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  Swedish forward Stina Blackstenius, introduced from the bench, netted the game’s only goal to stun a Barcelona team that had dominated the tournament in recent years. With three Champions League titles in the past four seasons, the Catalan giants entered the final as firm favourites, but Arsenal defied the odds.

• WHAT WRIGHT SAID

  Arsenal legend Wright, who was present at the Estadio José Alvalade for the final, didn’t hold back in his praise for the women’s team. Speaking to after the match, Wright emphasized the importance of the victory not only in sporting terms but also for the broader morale of the club.

  “Saved the club from the embarrassment of getting nothing this season when we played so well in the season with the men," he said.

  “The ladies have saved the club, we have got something to celebrate. Of course they need a parade, they have beaten Barcelona in the Champions League [final], no one gave them a chance. Even I was saying it was going to be tough because they average four goals a game!

  “So we needed to score goals to make sure that we beat them, in the end it was only one but everybody wrote them off. They deserve everything they are getting, all the accolades because this is a magnificent achievement. Look how far it’s come, I remember the Champions League being at Boreham Wood, look where we are and Arsenal winning it, it’s amazing!”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Arsenal’s return to the final after nearly two decades had all the makings of a fairytale, especially against a Barcelona side many assumed would dominate. Yet, under the guidance of head coach Renee Slegers, the Gunners displayed tactical discipline and unwavering belief. And with that, the Gunners can celebrate not only a historic win but the pride of a club that refused to be overlooked.

Arsenal are now willing to make a bid of over £80m for a striker who has a “great attacking IQ”, according to a report.

Mikel Arteta's search for a striker

Mikel Arteta finds himself light on options in the striker department, with Kai Havertz suffering a season-ending hamstring injury just after the January transfer window came to an end.

As such, Arteta may be inclined to bring in a new striker on a free transfer, and the Gunners have been linked with a move for Leandro Damiao, who has a career total of 219 goals.

However, any out-of-window move would likely be a stop-gap until the end of the season, at which point, the north Londoners will be tasked with bringing in a new forward capable of leading the line for years to come.

Forward has "already decided" to join Arsenal with signing "imminent"

Mikel Arteta considers him a “key” potential addition.

By
Emilio Galantini

Feb 15, 2025

There have been widespread rumours about a number of players making the move to the Emirates Stadium, with Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko among the main strikers linked.

There has now been a new update on Arsenal’s pursuit of Sesko, with reports from Spain suggesting they are willing to make an offer of around €100m (£83m) for the RB Leipzig star.

The willingness to shell out over £80m shows how serious the Gunners are about signing the forward, who they consider a key target, with getting a deal done deemed their main objective for the summer.

However, negotiations with Leipzig are not expected to be easy, with the German club reluctant to sanction the departure of the Slovenian marksman.

Sesko's goal record in the Bundesliga

It is no wonder Arsenal are so keen on signing the 21-year-old, who has already chalked up 55 appearances in the Bundesliga, given that he has been showing signs of year-on-year improvement.

Since making his breakthrough in the 2021/22 season, the Slovenia international has gone on to establish himself as a key player for Leipzig, and he could yet record his best goal return this term.

Not only that, but the Leipzig star has impressed in the Champions League, with four goals to his name in Europe’s elite competition this season, recently scoring in his side’s 2-1 victory against Sporting CP.

The 6 foot 5 colossus towers over most defenders, but given his ability in possession of the ball, he is not merely a target man, as pointed out by members of the media, who laud him for his “great attacking IQ”.

£80m is a huge amount to pay for any player, but Sesko is showing signs he could go to the very top.

After a matter of months, INEOS are already reportedly plotting to cut Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United reign short by hiring a veteran replacement who’s won as many as six Serie A titles.

Man Utd already eyeing Amorim replacement

When looking back at the last year of INEOS’ decisions, it’s clear that they haven’t exactly helped to drag Manchester United out of the position they currently find themselves in. First and foremost, they rewarded Erik ten Hag with a new contract after much deliberation. They decided that FA Cup glory was enough to make the Dutchman their man despite all the Premier League failure that came before.

Not just Onana: £85k-p/w Man Utd star now looks finished under Amorim

The futures of numerous Man Utd stars now look increasingly uncertain at Old Trafford

By
Robbie Walls

Mar 4, 2025

What came next felt inevitable. Even after a summer of investment which saw the likes of Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee and Matthijs de Ligt arrive, it quickly became apparent that United’s FA Cup victory was an off-day for Manchester City rather than the beginning of a renaissance and Ten Hag was soon sacked as a result.

He wasn’t the only one shown the door either – and at a price. Soon following the manager was Dan Ashworth, who was shown the door just months after INEOS chased and chased to secure the sporting director’s arrival from Newcastle United.

In between those two departures, however, it looked as though Sir Jim Ratcliffe had made his first positive call by hiring Amorim. The Sporting Club boss was a young, successful manager who had just thrashed Pep Guardiola’s City side. It simply had to be the right call.

Alas, even as the curse of Sir Alex Ferguson’s throne looked destined to end, that has proved far from the case. Four months on from taking hold of the poisoned chalice, Amorim has picked up just five Premier League wins in 16 games to leave United in the bottom half and leave INEOS wondering whether it’s time to make another expensive decision.

INEOS and Man Utd plotting Allegri move

Now, according to reports in Spain, INEOS and Manchester United are plotting a move to hire Massimiliano Allegri and hand the Italian his first job since his departure from Juventus at the end of last season.

In a move that would swap the young for the experienced, Allegri doesn’t need much of an introduction – his Serie A legacy speaks for itself. Winning the famous Scudetto six times, with five of those wins coming at Juventus and the other coming at AC Milan, Allegri is an undeniable winner who perhaps has the know-how which Amorim lacks at this stage of his career.

Whether the 57-year-old would finally solve United’s problems is another question entirely, however. Just like Amorim, Allegri’s preferred 3-5-2 system features wing-backs rather than wingers, which would hand the Red Devils the same issue they currently face with a squad full of players unable to fit into a back five.

It could also be argued that Allegri is past the peak of his managerial powers. Whilst the Italian does have six Serie A titles to his name, the last of those six came in the 2018/19 season, highlighting his struggles to take hold of Italian football in recent years.

Wrexham striker Ollie Palmer is not worried by talk of a summer exit and has vowed to stay at the club and fight for his place.

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• Wrexham preparing for life in Championship
• Welsh club expected to strengthen squad
• Star man eager to fight for his place

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Palmer celebrated his 33th birthday in January and has also slipped down the pecking order at the club following the arrivals of Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez. The situation has led to speculation that Palmer could be offloaded in the summer transfer window, but the veteran is determined to stay at the club and fight for his place.

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  Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson has already confirmed Palmer and Paul Mullin will be part of the squad next season, but the striker has made it clear that he is ready to fight for a place in the starting XI even if competition for places does intensify over the summer by the arrival of new additions from the Premier League.

• WHAT PALMER SAID

  He told CBS Sports Golazo: "I've actually had that since I arrived.  So I arrived January 2022, three-and-a-half years ago, and the following summer everyone was like 'Palmer is going to leave'. Every window I've been at the club people think that I'm going to leave. My family are down in London and I commute between the two, so I travel up from London to Wrexham. I think I worked out that since I signed for Wrexham I could have driven to America and back, something ridiculous like that. There's always those rumours but I'm going to come back. It's obviously a hugely talented squad already, and the gaffer is going to build on that, but I'm going to come back, fight for my shirt, get fit, get ready and go again."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM

  Palmer and the Wrexham squad will be back in action in July when they travel to Australia and New Zealand for a pre-season tour ahead of the start of the 2025-26 Championship campaign.

Five keys to USMNT vs Turkey: The match may be a friendly, but there are real stakes here for Pochettino's depleted team

The U.S. men's national team's toughest game of the summer may very well be its first one. It may not be the most important, particularly with a Gold Cup looming. But Saturday's match against Turkey presents the type of challenge the USMNT need on the road to 2026 – a tough, talented, top-30 global opponent.

And those types of games will be in short supply between now and the World Cup kickoff next June.

Turkey are a proven commodity, a team that, on its day, can challenge anyone. They went to the Euro 2024 quarterfinals last summer, falling to an elite Netherlands team after squandering an early lead. In the 10 months or so since, they've lost just once.

The USMNT's loss in the CONCACAF Nations League left a mark, and the absence of multiple key stars for this summer's run doesn't help. Now, though, the 26 players that are in camp will be eager to prove themselves – and Turkey provide a perfect platform to do just that.

GOAL looks at five keys to the USMNT's friendly vs Turkey.

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  Finding the intensity

  There's no doubt about it: the disappointment from Nations League still lingers. If you think about it, so does the frustration over the 2024 Copa America exit.

  This summer and the upcoming Gold Cup can't erase history, but winning cures all, right?

  In the months since the USMNT was upset by Panama and then taken down by Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals and third-place match, respectively, the message has been clear, and unanimous: not good enough.

  No real excuses, no pointing to luck, good or bad. The message has largely been consistent: the USMNT failed to live up to expectations – their own, and others' – and now is the chance to redeem themselves. And even with a roster depleted by injury and Club World Cup commitments – among those missing are Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Antonee Robinson, Tim Weah, Yunus Musah, Gio Reyna, Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi – coach Mauricio Pochettino is focused on making corrections, and winning.

  "I think we need to respect the players that are here. We need to respect every single player and see if we are good enough," he said Friday. "I will let you know after. We weren't good enough to win the Nations League. We were not good enough – if we go back to the World Cup – we were not good enough to win the World Cup in 2022. I think we cannot judge or analyze in this way. I think we need to wait, and then if we win, so happy. If we don't win, you can criticize."

  That sentiment is not just coach-speak. It's echoed by the players, those who know that the road to the ultimate goal – the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Mexico and Canada – starts here, a year out.

  "I think for us, the end-all be-all of that camp was that it wasn't good enough from anybody," goalkeeper Matt Turner said, looking back at the Nation's League results. "We looked at it internally after that, and, look, we can lose, but there's a way to lose. I think that what we showed on the pitch to our fans wasn't anywhere near good enough in terms of mentality and intensity.

  "When you lose, you go so long between games that you think a lot about what could have gone differently and you analyze every aspect of the environment and player selection and all of that. For us, we know from player one to player 60, however, many of us are in this pool, the minimum standard is to show up and be intense. And we lacked that."

  That will need to be the baseline this summer, but particularly in a pair of friendlies – the USMNT take on Turkey Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Connecticut, and then Switzerland next Tuesday in Nashville. The pressure will be on. If they don't perform, the mood will be soured before the Gold Cup even begins.

  Optics don't mean everything, but they do matter, especially at this U.S. group looks to atone for the mistakes of March.

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  Newcomer nerves

  A quick glance at the roster yields one takeaway: this group's filled with players lacking USMNT experience. In total, 13 of the 26 have five or fewer caps. Seven are uncapped. Even by Gold Cup standards, this roster is young. It's the third-youngest USMNT roster ever for one of these tournaments, while just five players in the team have Gold Cup experience.

  Add one further stat to the mix: this team averages just 16 caps per player, and that's including vets like Tim Ream, Walker Zimmerman and Tyler Adams in that mix.

  "I think that is a roster that is the best roster today, to defend ourselves and try to translate to the people good emotion and show that," Pochettino said. "I think we have quality players. Now we need to build a team that fights for each other and shows that we have the quality."

  So much of this team is going to be learning on the fly and, for those with little USMNT experience, this Turkey team is going to be the toughest test they've faced in a USMNT shirt.

  The good news is that these friendlies will allow the newer faces to adjust before the Gold Cup kicks off. They'll also get tested by teams that are generally more talented than most of the sides they'll face in CONCACAF this summer.

  Both Turkey (27) and Switzerland (20) are inside the top 27 in the FIFA men's world rankings. For comparison, that would make those teams the third- and fourth-highest-ranked teams in CONCACAF, behind only the USMNT (16th) and Mexico (17th). Turkey are a dangerous team, one with the experience and star power to overwhelm any newcomers with nerves.

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  Dealing with Turkey's stars

  Right now, Turkey have two of the most promising young players in the world: Juventus' Kenan Yildiz and Real Madrid's Arda Guler. They also have plenty of talent surrounding them, namely Inter star Hakan Calhanoglu, the team's captain. Keeping them quiet? No easy feat.

  Tyler Adams, who will likely battle Calhanoglu frequently in the center of midfield, will be key. As one of the team's most experienced players, and likely the team's captain, Adams will be in charge of setting a tone. Just as importantly, though, he'll be in charge of finding balance as Turkey looks to get its stars involved.

  Yildiz and Guler, should they play, are elite creators, ones that will give any team in the world headaches. This Turkey team will be no pushover, and the U.S. will not have an overwhelming amount of possession as they did against, say, Panama in March.

  Realistically, this will be a game of moments. Both teams will create them. Can the U.S. make the most of theirs while having the awareness to recognize and deny Turkey's danger?

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  Making sense of the attack

  If you were to draw up the ideal USMNT attack, it's safe to say this wouldn't be it. That's no disrespect to the players in camp, but when stars such as Pulisic, Weah, Pepi and Balogun are missing, that's just a fact.

  Outside of January camp, Pulisic, Weah and Pepi have scored all but three of the USMNT's goals since Pochettino's arrival. That's a lot of firepower missing. The U.S. will need to find it from somewhere. Turkey, meanwhile, have an experienced defense, one headlined by veterans Merih Demiral, Caglar Soyoncu and Zerk Celik. The won't be intimidated by an attacking unit that plays almost exclusively in MLS and in second divisions.

  It's up to the players in that attack to both initiate and intimidate. Patrick Agyemang is a handful, as is Haji Wright. Brian White has been in great form all season. Damion Downs is a bit of a mystery, but playmakers such as Diego Luna, Paxten Aaronson and Malik Tillman should be able to get involved.

  It'll be a different look, one that lacks the pure pace of a group led by Pulisic and Weah. How will this group stack up against a decent defense?

Pundit Robbie Savage has criticised comments made by Chris Sutton on social media after Rangers beat Celtic 3-2 over the weekend, describing them as “absolutely pathetic”.

Rangers seal superb win at Celtic

The Gers may only have an extremely slim chance of going all the way in the Scottish Premiership this season, but they earned bragging rights over their rivals on Sunday afternoon.

Hamza Igamane’s superb late strike won it for Rangers to stun the Celtic supporters, with the visitors initially going 2-0 up before being pegged back in the second half.

For Barry Ferguson, it was a great moment, as he continues to impress in interim charge of the club he used to captain during his playing days, but his side still have a 13-point deficit to make up on the Hoops.

Writing on X after the game, former Celtic striker Sutton couldn’t help but have a dig at Rangers, saying: “Superb advert for the Scottish game. Igamane took his goal superbly and deserved of winning any game. Bottom line is the gap at the top is 13 points with 8 games left. I know who I’d rather be. Fair play to Rangers who play well when the pressure and expectation isn’t on them…”

Savage slams Sutton's comments as "pathetic" after Rangers win

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live on Sunday [via Ibrox News], Savage slammed Sutton’s dig at Rangers after their victory at Parkhead:

“I’ve got to say, Chris, before you talk about anything else, I’ve seen your tweet earlier. Absolutely pathetic. Give Rangers a bit of credit, they’re the form team in Scotland right now.”

In truth, this is something that Rangers fans have simply come to expect from Sutton, given his time as a Celtic player during the 2000s.

The former striker can’t seem to give the Gers any genuine praise without having a dig at them at the same time, but supporters are unlikely to be too perturbed after a win away to the Hoops.

As for Savage’s comments, he makes a genuine point when saying that Ferguson’s side are the “form team” in the country currently, with Sunday’s victory further proof of that.

He should be captain: Rangers star has become an "animal" under Ferguson

Rangers secured their first win over Celtic at Parkhead since 2020 on Sunday.

By
Ross Kilvington

Mar 17, 2025

Rangers find themselves in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, following last week’s penalty shootout triumph over Fenerbahce, so there is still hope of them going all the way in the competition.

Granted, there have been many times when Celtic have been clearly superior this season – they beat the Gers in the Scottish League Cup final and Rangers were poor too often under Philippe Clement, for example – but their adversaries have found an extra gear in recent weeks, aided by the arrival of Ferguson.

Rangers supporters could be split when it comes to wanting the 47-year-old to get the job on a permanent basis at the end of the campaign, but on this current evidence, he is doing his chances no harm whatsoever.

Liverpool are facing a potentially huge summer transfer window with three of their biggest stars set to become free agents at the end of June.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah are all out of contract at the end of this season, which means that they will be free to discuss moves elsewhere unless the club can agree fresh terms with them.

As it stands, there have not been any reports that suggest that any of them are set to sign extensions at Anfield, but none of them have been signed by another team, which means that there is plenty of time left.

As you can see in the table above, losing Salah – in particular – would be a significant blow for Arne Slot and his side because the winger has been in sensational form this season in the Premier League.

The Reds will need other players to step up and carry the load at the top end of the pitch if the Egypt international does move on from Anfield ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Of the stars currently at the club, former PSV forward Cody Gakpo is, perhaps, best placed to step up and establish himself as the main man for Slot.

Cody Gakpo's incredible form this season

The Netherlands international has racked up 16 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions for the Reds so far this term, matching his tally from 53 outings in the 2023/24 campaign.

This shows that he has improved his output in the final third, with as many goals in 13 fewer matches, since Slot arrived on Merseyside with his 4-3-3 set-up, predominantly utilising Gakpo on the left flank – cutting in on his right foot.

Make no mistake, Salah has been the main man for Liverpool this season but the Dutch winger has also played a significant role in the team’s success on the pitch.

Gakpo scored five goals and provided four assists in five appearances in the League Cup in the run-up to the final, only to miss out on a place in the starting line-up at Wembley as he recently returned from injury. Slot may wonder if the result would have been different if they had his attacking qualities on the pitch from the start.

As you can see in the table above, the 25-year-old winger has also offered a big threat at the top end of the pitch in the Premier League, outperforming his xG and being unlucky to only have three assists to his name.

Liverpool may hope that he can add even more goals to his game and become an established star for the Reds if Salah moves on this summer, as a result of more responsibility being placed on his shoulders – despite him not being one of the most highly-paid players at the club.

According to Capology, Gakpo is currently on a wage of £120k-per-week and that does not even earn him a place in the top ten earners at Anfield this season.

That speaks to the value-for-money that the Reds have got out of the Dutch sensation this term, because he has been a terrific performer despite not being one of the highest earners, but it also suggests that the club may not be getting value for their money from other forwards.

As you can see in the table above, there are ten players in the current Liverpool squad who earn more than Gakpo does at this moment in time, including Diogo Jota.

The Portugal international started the League Cup final against Newcastle on Sunday and put in the type of performance that explains why Liverpool chief Michael Edwards should ruthlessly cash in on someone who’s been described as a “pointless footballer” by one Liverpool content creator.

Why Liverpool should cash in on Diogo Jota

Jota failed to get his only shot attempt on target and completed just 40% of his attempted passes, whilst losing three of his four ground duels, at Wembley.

Quite simply, the Liverpool number 20 did not do anywhere near enough to cause problems for Fabian Schar and Dan Burn, who had a relatively easy time keeping him quiet.

It was a laboured performance from the 28-year-old forward and one that has become all-too-familiar to Slot and the supporters in the 2024/25 campaign, as the striker has failed to offer consistent quality at the top end of the pitch.

Jota, who earns £20k more per week than Gakpo, has only scored eight goals in 29 appearances in all competitions for the Reds this season, half as many as his Dutch teammate has scored.

The Portuguese attacker’s form in both the Premier League and the Champions League this term has been a cause for concern, as he has struggled quite badly.

As you can see in the table above, Jota has underperformed against his xG in both competitions, scoring just five goals in 22 matches, and has created very little for his teammates at the same time.

This shows that the former Atletico Madrid man has not made enough of the opportunities that his teammates have created for him, as he has missed 12 ‘big chances’ to go along with those five goals, which means that Slot cannot rely on him to perform week-in-week-out.

TEAMtalk recently reported that Wolverhampton Wanderers are keeping tabs on his situation at Anfield ahead of a possible swoop for his services in the upcoming summer transfer window.

With this in mind, Edwards must brutally cash in on the Portuguese dud who has not offered enough on the pitch this season to justify his £140k-per-week wages, particularly in comparison to Gakpo’s contributions as part of the front three.

Therefore, Liverpool must take advantage of the interest from Wolves to move on from the 28-year-old forward, who has been unreliable in front of goal this season, in order to make room for Slot to bring his own signings in to bolster the playing squad ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

A "monster" Trent upgrade: Liverpool gearing up to sign £34m Madrid target

FSG are gearing up for a summer of change at Liverpool.

By
Angus Sinclair

Mar 18, 2025

Roberto Martinez hailed Lamine Yamal as 'the best at his poisition', but ranked two Portuguese players above the Barcelona star for the Ballon d'Or.

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• Martinez heaped praise on Yamal
• Labelled the Barca sensation as the best
• But named two others for Ballon d'Or

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Yamal produced a phenomenal season with Barcelona, helping the Catalans return among the trophies. However, Portugal head coach Martinez strongly believes that two unlikely candidates in Vitinha and Nuno Mendes, who play under him in international football, are more worthy candidates of lifting this year's Ballon d'Or award.

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  Yamal has become one of the favourites to clinch the Ballon d'Or award after producing a historic season. The 17-year-old scored 21 goals and produced 25 assists in 62 games for club and country, helping Barca win the domestic treble. He was also instrumental in Spain reaching the Nations League final. His consistency and impact in big games have seen him become a hot favourite for the award among many players, coaches, and pundits.

  On the other hand, Vitinha and Mendes were pivotal players in a picture perfect campaign with Paris Saint-Germain, as Luis Enrique's side completed a clean sweep of all trophies on available and lifted their maiden Champions League trophy. The left-back, in particular, shone on the international stage as well, winning the Nations League Finals Player of the Tournament.

• WHAT ROBERTO MARTINEZ SAID

  Speaking on COPE's program, Martinez was effusive in his praise for Yamal: " I don't know how you treat him. Lamine is the best at his position and has been very consistent. There is no talent who plays in his position and plays like that. We have to help him."

  When asked about his favourites for the Ballon d'Or, Martinez replied: "Vitinha and Nuno Mendes are far above the rest; at club level and because of their profile. Nuno Mendes, for me, is the best left-back I've ever seen. He can play on the outside and on the inside. He's very quick and has a good pass. I thought the perfect player didn't exist, and Nuno is very close to that."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Vitinha and Mendes, along with leading candidate Ousmane Dembele, will have a chance to further stake their claims for the Ballon d'Or in the Club World Cup, which begins on June 14. PSG play their first game of the tournament on June 15 against Atletico Madrid.

The champions of New Zealand and all of Oceania head to the United States as by far the most rank of outsiders

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When you close your eyes and think of New Zealand, what do you see? Is it the picturesque landscape? Is it 15 buff men doing the Haka? Is it Lorde strutting down a Coachella stage with Charli XCX? Is it Chris Wood returning dividends on FPL? Whatever it is, it almost certainly isn't related to their club football.

Auckland City, the reigning champions of Oceania, will represent the continent at the revamped Club World Cup hoping to buck that trend, but face one hell of an uphill battle to leave a good lasting impression on the rest of the globe.

The Navy Blues are merely part-timers, and play their home games at a stadium with a capacity of only 3,500 – most of which is standing, a la English non-league – in a quaint suburb with a 12,000-strong population. They are by a country mile the underdogs in a Club World Cup group featuring Portuguese giants Benfica, Argentine heavyweights Boca Juniors, and German champions Bayern Munich.

So, who are the plucky minnows from the City of Sails looking to upset the applecart in the United States this summer? GOAL has you covered – here's everything you need to know about Auckland City:

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  Kings of Oceania

  Having won 13 editions of the OFC Champions League in the 22 seasons it has run for, including the last four in a row since resumption following the coronavirus pandemic, Auckland City are by far the most successful club side in Oceanian football history.

  In fact, the Champions League has only been won by one team from outside New Zealand since 2010, with Hienghene Sport of New Caledonia taking home the 2019 title before the world was plunged into lockdown. Auckland City's main rivals, Team Wellington, are the only other victors in that time, one year earlier in 2018.

  Back in 2014, Auckland City became the only winners of the special one-time OFC President's Cup, which was designed to strengthen relations with the neighbouring Asian (AFC) and North American (CONCACAF) confederations. It was a unique tournament that saw the Fiji Under-20 and Singapore Under-23 teams invited, as well as Amicale of Vanuatu, Bahraini side Busaiteen and Cayman Islands Premier League winners Bodden Town.

  There really isn't any doubt in saying Auckland City are Oceania's biggest, best and most important team. They have more than earned the right to compete at the Club World Cup.

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  Bronze medallists

  Despite their lowly status, Auckland City do have an extensive history at the Club World Cup in its previous form, and even though they are usually met with defeat on sight, it's not as if they've been completely destroyed by the best teams from other continents on a regular basis.

  In total, they have played in 17 Club World Cup matches and won only five of them, losing seven times by two goals or more but never by upward of three, suggesting they can at the very least be once they leave their comfort zone of Oceania. That said, they were hammered 6-2 by Al Ain (more on them later) in the equivalent FIFA Intercontinental Cup at the end of 2024, perhaps pouring a bit of cold water over any flaming expectations.

  Their biggest success came in 2014 when they came close to facing Real Madrid in the final. After knocking out African champions ES Setif in the quarter-finals, Auckland City took South American side San Lorenzo to extra-time in the semis, only to lose 2-1 following 120 minutes of action. They were sent to the third-place play-off to take on Cruz Azul of Mexico, where they prevailed 4-2 on penalties at the end of a 1-1 draw, taking home the bronze medal.

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  4,948th in the world

  There aren't many ways of measuring teams from different continents against each other, but stat-gurus Global Power Rankings are probably the closest way we have to accurately doing so. Heading into the Club World Cup, Auckland City are all the way down in 4,948th. In comparison, group-stage opponents Bayern are sixth, Benfica are 24th and Boca are 131st.

  To put into further perspective how unevenly matched Auckland City will be at the tournament, the next lowest-ranked team at the Club World Cup are Al Ain, the very team they lost 6-2 to only a few months ago, and even then are ranked at 611th. Many of the teams ranked similarly to the New Zealanders are semi-professional or amateur – they are 128 places behind Brackley Town, who have just won the National League North in the sixth tier of English football, for example.

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  Second in their own city

  The club name 'Auckland City' and urban population of over 1.5 million people would suggest that the team attract a decent enough crowd, yet they usually average attendances of around 1,000 inside their 3,500-capacity Kiwitea Street ground.

  This hasn't been helped by Australia's A-League choosing to expand into New Zealand. Joining Wellington Phoenix for the 2024-25 season were Auckland FC, who averaged crowds of 18,000 at the much larger Go Media Stadium and are controlled by the same owners as Premier League side Bournemouth. To cast an even darker shadow over City, FC finished top of the league in their inaugural campaign, before falling in the play-off semi-finals to Melbourne Victory.

  "Normally, I would say we have anywhere between 800 to 1,200 depending on the match itself. We expect to have a group of about 40 to 50 people from Auckland City to come to the United States," general manager Gordon Watson recently revealed. It's a long way away from their domestic setup – a tournament-record 17,000 miles away, to be more precise.

  "A home game in the Northern League usually begins at nine o'clock in the morning," Watson said. "Two of our club volunteers will be down at Kiwitea Street putting up the goals, the nets, the corner flags and the flags around the venue. The grass is cut to a certain length which gets done on Thursday if the guy remembers to do it. Our chairman will be very quick to ring that person up if they haven't done it!"

  There were local reports suggesting City were hoping to loan in some of FC's stars to help their cause at the Club World Cup, but not a single player has made the switch ahead of the tournament. Manager Paul Posa, meanwhile, is only just meeting up with his squad after missing the first fortnight of their U.S. stay due to personal reasons. Aside from that, it will be business as usual for the same old cast of City stars.

Potentially forced to replace Alexander Isak this summer, Newcastle United are now reportedly ready to launch their move to seal a bargain deal for a forward who’s matched the Swede for goals this season.

Newcastle could land bargain Isak replacement

The rumours aren’t slowing down regarding Isak’s future and neither are his goalscoring exploits. The Newcastle star took his club form to international level last time out, scoring a sensational goal in a 5-1 thrashing of Northern Ireland. No matter the stage, Isak seems to find himself wheeling away in celebration following another moment to savour.

It’s the type of quality that Newcastle won’t want to lose this summer, but interest from Liverpool, Arsenal and others is unlikely to go away even amid the forward’s reported £150m price-tag.

To lose the Swede at this stage, fresh from ending their hunt for silverware and on course to reach the Champions League once again, would be a major blow for those at St James’ Park. If Isak does depart, however, then a bargain replacement could arrive.

According to The Northern Echo, Newcastle are now ready to launch their move to sign Jonathan David when his current LOSC Lille contract comes to an end this summer.

Newcastle join the race to sign £63m star who Shearer called "magnificent"

He’s enjoyed an excellent season…

By
Tom Cunningham

Mar 25, 2025

The Canada international has been in excellent form this season and looks destined to find himself at the centre of a transfer saga this summer before becoming one of the bargains of the window.

Amid competition from the likes of Barcelona, Newcastle will hope to shock the Spanish giants by winning the race for David’s signature in the coming months. It’s then that Eddie Howe could have an instant replacement for Isak or perhaps even an ideal strike partner.

"Insane" David is as good as Isak

David’s contract expiry couldn’t be coming at a better time for Newcastle. The Lille star is the ideal candidate to replace Isak if he decides to give into the temptation of a move away this summer. At 25 years old and at the peak of his powers, David has found the back of the net 23 times in all competitions – the same as Isak has managed – with nine of those coming in the Champions League this season.

Those numbers were rightly described as “insane” by U23 scout Antonio Mango and David could just be getting started. Set to leave Lille, the forward looks destined for big things no matter where he decides to take his talents this summer.

If Newcastle are to maintain their Champions League place, then the Canada star should be among their top targets even if Isak does stay put. On a free deal, David could suddenly hand Howe two strikers capable of scoring over 20 goals a season.